Aston Villa boss Dean Smith refuses to rule out permanent move for Olivier Giroud

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Aston Villa have been heavily linked with a move for Chelsea target man Olivier Giroud.

Dean Smith has refused to rule out Aston Villa signing Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud on a permanent basis this month despite the arrival of Danny Drinkwater.

Villa confirmed on their official website on Tuesday afternoon that Drinkwater has made the switch from Chelsea to the Midlands on a six-month loan deal – this now means that Villa can no longer sign another Chelsea player on a temporary basis, including Giroud.

The Express & Star previously claimed that Giroud is a ‘prime target’ for Villa, as Smith tries to find a replacement for the injured Wesley.

Speaking to Sky Sports News (07/01/20 at 3:05 pm), Smith was told by a Sky reporter that with the Drinkwater signing, they can no longer sign another loan player from Chelsea, but the Villa boss was quick to correct the reporter and say that doesn’t mean they cannot still sign him on a permanent basis:

“I think you can still sign him [Giroud], but only on a permanent,” Smith told Sky Sports News. “What you cannot do is get another [second] loan from a Premier League club, so all our options are open in terms of centre-forwards. I have certainly not name-checked any players yet and I am not likely to.

On whether he has spoken to Chelsea about signing Giroud on a permanent basis: “As I said I have not yet name-checked anybody and I am not going to. I have got Suso, our Sporting Director, very busy at the moment. We are short in the forward area, everyone knows.”

This will leave Villa fans pretty excited because when Drinkwater was signed, many thought that their chances of securing Giroud’s services had gone, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Smith isn’t ruling anything out and is remaining coy on the matter, which is still pleasing from a Villa perspective. If they can get Giroud through the door then it’ll be a brilliant window for the struggling Midlands club.

Giroud is a player that many Villa fans want to see signed [Read Here], as it could be argued that if they can agree a deal with the Frenchman then they may well just survive in England’s top-flight.