Olivier Giroud's future at Arsenal has been brought into question following secret talks with an influential football agent.
The striker held a 45-minute meeting with UK-based adviser Muzzi Ozcan at Aubaine restaurant in Hampstead at around 5.30pm on Thursday evening.
Ozcan helped broker Galatasaray’s recruitment of manager Roberto Mancini and led the Turkish club’s attempts to sign Chelsea’s John Terry last year.
As well as Turkey, he is known to have strong contacts in France, particularly with Paris St-Germain’s Qatari owners. Ozcan is not Giroud’s contracted agent.
Giroud’s agent Mickael Manuello, who was not present, insisted the meeting was meant purely for commercial purposes.
Manuello also denied Giroud was plotting an exit strategy out of Arsenal, saying he is fully focused on winning the Barclays Premier League and the FA Cup with the Gunners.
Giroud faced allegations of an extramarital affair last month and sources close to the player suggest he is under pressure from his family to quit London.
The meeting leaves Giroud with more controversy following his encounter with underwear model Celia Kay while on club duty. Kay took a picture of Giroud in his hotel room wearing just underwear the night before a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on February 2.
A newspaper printed the pictures, forcing Giroud to apologise for his behaviour and beg forgiveness from his wife Jennifer. He maintains, however, that he did not commit adultery.
Giroud, who has three-and-a-half years left on his Arsenal contract, has been Arsene Wenger’s first-choice striker this season, and has had a productive campaign, scoring 18 goals. But he is likely to fall down the strikers’ pecking order this summer with Wenger looking to sign two new forwards before the start of next season.
Speaking for the first time about the revelations regarding his private life, Giroud said last week: ‘There were some things which were true, some others were false. But that’s the past.
‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. I’m convinced everything that happened to me will make me stronger.
‘That’s all I need to do: focus on the pitch with my club and take care of my family.
‘It’s been a difficult period. You have to be strong in your head. I used football as an outlet. The contribution of the coach Arsene Wenger was very important. Now I just want to forget about it, move on to something else and make a new start.’
Arsenal declined to comment about the meeting.
