Chelsea have completed the signing of Olivier Giroud from London rivals Arsenal on an 18-month deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £18m.
His move to Chelsea was confirmed hours after Arsenal completed a club-record transfer for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official website, Giroud said: “Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in the Premier League. They have won maybe the most trophies in the last six or seven years. It’s a massive club and I am proud to sign for Chelsea, and I’m looking forward to playing.”
Giroud made his final appearance in an Arsenal shirt on Tuesday night, coming off the bench in the Gunners’ 3-1 loss to Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.
At the final whistle the France international ran over to the away end and applauded Arsenal’s travelling support before beating his chest.
Giroud joined Arsenal in the summer of 2012 after two seasons with Ligue 1 side Montpellier, where he scored 39 goals in 85 appearances.
The 31-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal and has been restricted to just one Premier league start this season.
Giroud leaves the Emirates Stadium after scoring 105 goals in 253 appearances for the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Dortmund have signed Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on a season-long loan deal on Deadline Day as a direct replacement for Gabon international striker Aubameyang.
Mesut Ozil is set to end the speculation he could leave Arsenal and sign a contract extension with the club.
The midfielder has just six months to run on his existing deal, meaning he could speak to foreign clubs about a free transfer in the summer.
There have been reported attracting interest from Manchester United, who signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January in a swap-deal which saw another attacking midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, head in the opposite direction.
