Inter are reportedly still short of Chelsea’s valuation of Olivier Giroud and that in turn is delaying a possible switch to Italy this month.
The Nerazzurri are currently in a thrilling Serie A title battle with rivals Juventus as they sit just two points behind them at the top of the table after 19 games.
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In turn, any reinforcements in January to strengthen Antonio Conte’s squad could be crucial, and it appears as though he wants to bolster his attacking options.
However, according to The Sun, while Giroud is said to be ready to pen an 18-month deal with the Italian giants, they haven’t yet made an acceptable offer to Chelsea to prise the Frenchman away from Stamford Bridge.
It’s added that while Inter want to pay around £4m to sign him, that is only half of Chelsea’s valuation and so it will seemingly take a bid closer to £8m to get the green light on a deal this month.
For a player who will see his current contract expire in the summer, that is a lot of money and it has to be questioned as to whether or not that would be a smart move from Inter.
That said, Conte knows the player well from his time at Chelsea and needs an experienced and quality frontman to make an immediate impact and offer cover for the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez up front to ensure that they have enough firepower this season to topple Juventus.
With those factors in mind, perhaps the idea of swooping for Giroud and paying a fee for him now rather than waiting to snap him up on a free transfer could make sense, but time will tell if the two clubs can reach an agreement on a deal in the coming weeks to allow him to move on.
The 33-year-old has been limited to just seven appearances so far this season, and so he’ll likely want to move on for a more prominent role elsewhere to stay in contention for a spot in France’s squad for EURO 2020 this summer.