Olivier Giroud says he will consider leaving Chelsea in January after finding first team football hard to come by under Frank Lampard this season.
CBS Sports first revealed on November 6 that Giroud was considering leaving Stamford Bridge with Inter Milan among those clubs holding an interest in the 2018 World Cup winner. MLS club Inter Miami have also been linked with a January move.
Giroud has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season, starting only one game and playing 36 minutes of Premier League football. It is a sharp contrast to the final weeks of the previous campaign when the 34-year-old established himself as first choice ahead of Tammy Abraham, scoring eight goals in the final 12 top flight matches.
The arrival of Timo Werner plus Abraham's own good form - his goal in Saturday's 2-0 win over Newcastle United was his third in as many games - has sent Giroud slipping down the pecking order and could force a mid-season switch if he is to secure a place in France's Euro 2020 squad.
"It's worrying," he told French publication Telefoot. "I thought I still had a role to play at Chelsea, but my playing time is getting reduced a lot. It's going to have to change, or else I must make a decision.
"I am clear about my situation: I will have to make a decision in January. I hope to take the right one, as I have always done."
Giroud remains a regular presence in France squads and scored the 43rd and 44th goals of his international career in a 4-2 win over Sweden last week, moving him within seven of Thierry Henry's record for Les Bleus. However head coach Didier Deschamps did warn the Chelsea forward that he would need "rhythm" to retain a regular role in his side.
