By: Ben Dixon Olivier Giroud is loved by AC Milan fans for several reasons, but the story could’ve been much different if fate hadn’t got involved. There are very few players from recent years held in the same regard as…

Former AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud revealed that he was extremely close to signing for cross-city rivals Inter Milan before eventually joining Milan. Speaking to L'Equipe on his 40th birthday, the French forward recounted seeking a departure from Chelsea during manager Frank Lampard's tenure to secure more playing time ahead of the European Championship.
Giroud explained that he frequently visited Lampard's office in the final days of the transfer window to find a resolution, noting he was "one step away" from Inter. Instead, he remained at Chelsea before completing a transfer to AC Milan the following year, where he won a Scudetto.
Calhanoglu: ‘Inter must avoid Milan provocation’ in tense derbyFootball italia
Gasperini: ‘Numbers count, Roma are scoring a lot of goals, a good signal’Football italia
Marotta: ‘Milan vs. Inter an advertisement for Italian football’Football italia
De Winter: ‘Milan trust our solid base’ against surprising Inter formationFootball italia
Runjaic: ‘A dark evening for Udinese, it’s not up to me to decide on my future’Football italia
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

Get the latest sports news and top stories from MySportsTab delivered straight to your inbox.
No spam. Just the latest sports news and updates.