Olivier Giroud has confirmed he is departing AC Milan at the end of the season to move to Major League Soccer (MLS).
The Athletic reported in March LAFC was finalising a deal for Giroud, which would see him join the club after this summer’s European Championship.
The 37-year-old’s Milan contract expires this summer, and his final two games for the club will be this month’s Serie A fixtures against Torino and Salernitana.
“I’m here to tell you that I’m leaving AC Milan,” Giroud told Milan’s official club YouTube channel. “The next two games will be my last for Milan. My career will continue in MLS.
“I’m very proud of everything I’ve done here at Milan across three seasons. It’s the right time to announce it. I’m a bit emotional… so my story with Milan ends this season but Milan will forever remain in my heart.”
Giroud joined Milan from Chelsea in the summer of 2021 and was part of the side that won the Serie A title for the first time in 11 years in 2021-22, scoring 11 league goals in 29 appearances.
The France striker has 16 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions this season. His move to MLS will mark the first time he has played domestic football outside of Europe during his 19-year professional career.
Giroud continued: “I’ve given everything I can for Milan, from being 35 years old and now I’m nearly 38. For me and also my family, it’s the right time for a different life experience to Milan.
“Football is my passion, my life. To think I’m finishing on the highest European stage, at Milan, is what I wanted.”
MLS’s summer transfer window opens on July 18 and Euro 2024 runs from June 14 through July 14.
Giroud, France’s all-time top scorer with 57 goals in 131 appearances, helped his country reach the World Cup final in both 2018 and 2022, beating Croatia in the 2018 final and losing to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 showpiece.
He previously had spells with Arsenal, Chelsea and Montpellier.
LAFC is fifth in MLS Western Conference after 12 games this season. Giroud would join an attack that already includes last season’s MLS Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga, who scored 25 goals in 36 appearances last term.
(Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
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