Olympique Marseille have opened talks for Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud.

The Mirror says Marseille, who were keen on Giroud last summer, have returned after failing in a move to land troubled Mario Balotelli from Nice.

Giroud, 31, only signed for Chelsea in a shock January switch after struggling for game time at Arsenal. He steadily made himself a more reliable alternative to Alvaro Morata at Stamford Bridge.

But Giroud failed to find the net in any of his six games at the World Cup.

Giroud has 12 months left on his current deal and rival clubs are aware of his availability.