Premier League club weigh up move for Arsenal's Olivier Giroud

Posted Monday, June 12, 2017 by givemesport.com

After scoring a stunning volley for France in the 2-1 loss to Sweden on Friday night, Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is now being linked with a move away from north London.

The towering centre-forward is Didier Deschamps' first-choice striker for Les Bleus despite Ligue 1 duo Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette both being in the squad but sadly for him, that is not the case at the Gunners.

In fact, Arsene Wenger is actually after Giroud's two competitors this summer in order to strengthen his forward line, leading to rumours that the 30-year-old is seeking a route out of the club.

The Arsenal man is desperate to keep his starting role for France at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, believing that is under threat if he remains at the Emirates and London rivals West Ham are keen to take advantage of the situation.

According to the Mirror, Slaven Bilic's side are looking at Giroud to bolster their forward options and given their striking woes in 2016/17 he would arguably be the first name on the team sheet.

The Hammers are far too reliant on the injury-prone Andy Carroll and Arsenal's French international would offer a similar service but with more reliability and class.

It is believed that Giroud wants to remain in the Premier League despite interest from Marseille and he is desperate to shake off his bit-part player tag on English shores.

Speaking to French reporters last week, he said: “Wenger is counting on me, even though he hasn't used me much. I won't settle for such limited playing time.”

The move would represent excellent business for West Ham who have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign Manchester City's Kelechi Iheanacho and Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi.

Toulouse striker Martin Braithwaite and Werder Bremen's Max Kruse have also been linked with Bilic's side but Giroud would be the marquee signing they're craving.

The Hammers are also looking at Arsenal target Henry Onyekuru with the general consensus being that the east London outfit require two new centre-forwards in the summer.