Everton: Ronald Koeman sets deadline to sign Olivier Giroud

Everton are getting impatient and Ronald Koeman wants a definitive answer regarding striker Olivier Giroud, before the end of this week.

Everton are apparently prepared to drag out the Gylfi Sigurdsson saga as long as necessary, in their attempts to sign him before the close of the summer transfer window. However — somewhat hypocritically you could argue — they don’t seem to be using this rationale for all of their targets.

In fact, it appears Ronald Koeman is eager to find out where he stands with Olivier Giroud, so he can decide what to do. As per a report from Neil Moxley of the Mirror, Koeman wants an answer regarding the striker this week.

Since we first shared Everton’s interest in Giroud, there have been other reports linking them to alternative options, including Edin Dzeko and Islam Slimani and Gabriel Barbosa. However, the French international remains the number one target for up front.

As such, Koeman will turn the pressure up this week, to find out once and for all the likelihood of Giroud coming to Merseyside. This will include making an improved offer of £25 million. (The Blues were previously prepared to pay £20 million.)

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With Everton on the lookout for one more striker, they want to know where they can stand with Giroud, so they can decide their next move. While this strategy makes sense, will the situation with the 30-year-old actually become any clearer by the end of this week?

Recent speculation has indicated Giroud would prefer to stay at Arsenal and fight for his place. This shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise, given he only signed a new long-term contract back in January.

In theory, the Chambéry-born player’s thinking could still be influenced by how much he desires regular first team football. He only started 11 league games last season and that was before the Gunners signed fellow Frenchman, Alexandre Lacazette.

However, even if Giroud does decide his future lies away from North London, his preference is apparently to return home. Regardless, the Blues are probably right to demand an answer sooner than later, so they can plan their next step accordingly.

Next: Blues should stay away from Diego Laxalt

Is Koeman right to set such a short-term deadline to sign Giroud? Or does he need to be more patient, if the French international really is his preferred option for up front? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.