Giroud touches down in Italy for AC Milan medical ahead of £1m move from Chelsea

Olivier Giroud has touched down in Italy for his AC Milan medical ahead of joining the Serie A giants from Chelsea in a £1million deal.

The France forward was pictured on Thursday afternoon arriving at the Linate airport in Milan after being flown from Grenoble on a private jet.

Giroud, who was seen wearing a mask with the AC Milan badge on it, briefly waved to the cameras and posed for photographs as he stepped outside the airport before being whisked away in a 4x4 BMW by a club associate.

The striker will undergo his medical at Milan's training base on Friday before putting pen to paper on two-year contract worth £3million a season.

Reports in Italy claim his deal will include an option for a further deal and expect Giroud to be confirmed as a Milan player on Friday.

The Italian side had Giroud on their radar for some time and had hope to sign him on a free transfer this summer when his contract expired, but Chelsea activated a one-year extension meaning Milan had to trigger his £1million release clause.

Milan legend and the club's current technical director Paulo Maldini confirmed they were in advanced negotiations to sign Giroud earlier this week and described the veteran striker as a 'champion'.

Giroud, who last season won the Champions League with Chelsea, spent three years at Stamford Bridge, scoring 39 goals in 199 appearances for them.

His move to Italy will see Giroud play football outside of England for the first time since 2012, having spent six prolific years at Arsenal before joining London rivals Chelsea.

The France international is not due to link up with his new Milan team-mates until July 26 because of his participation at Euro 2020, meaning he will miss their first pre-season friendly against Pro Sesto this weekend.