Olivier Giroud: Arsenal forward admits Chinese Super League is a tempting prospect but feels Europe is holy grail
Frenchman has only just signed lucrative new Gunners contract but concedes wealthy Far East has some appeal
OLIVIER GIROUD admits he can see the attraction of a big-money move to China.
But the Arsenal striker believes players should only think about moving to the Far East after they have achieved all their ambitions in Europe.
Giroud has just signed a new £100,000-a-week contract which will keep him at the Emirates until the summer of 2020.
Yet he does not rule out the prospect of one last pay day in the Chinese Super League.
The France international said: “From my point of view, I can understand why some players have moved to China. But if you asked me if I want to go now, I will tell you ‘no’.
“Right now, the Premier League is still my main target. But once I have won the title one day, why not? You never know.”
Giroud, 30, committed his long-term future to the Gunners last week despite having 18 months remaining on his previous contract.
Now he is hoping that team-mates Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will follow his lead and also extend their time in North London.
He said: “I really wanted to sign another contract with Arsenal and we all hope they will do the same.
“Hopefully they will do it soon but I don’t know what they want and it’s up to the players to make their decisions.”
Unlike Ozil, Giroud did not seek assurances from Arsene Wenger over the manager’s own future before signing his new deal.
Football’s longest-serving boss, 67, is now in the final few months of his £8million-a-year contract and is keeping everyone at the Emirates guessing about his plans.
But Giroud is keen for the man who signed him from Montpellier in a £13m deal five years ago to end the speculation.
He said: “We hope the boss will sign because we all want to keep going with this squad. It would be good news for the club and it would be a good thing for me, because I feel very good here and want to win the league.”