Giroud rules out France homecoming: 'I still have titles to win'

Olivier Giroud can't help but feel the allure of returning to Ligue 1 when clubs from his native land show an interest, but says he has unfinished business to attend to in north London first.

The reinvention of Alexis Sanchez as a No. 9 for much of the 2016-17 campaign meant the Frenchman was regularly demoted to the Arsenal bench. He started 11 Premier League matches - 15 fewer than the previous term - but wants to plunder the top domestic honour in England before considering a move back home.

"I am not insensitive to the approaches of the French clubs and especially that of Marseille," he told "Telefoot," according to The Telegraph. "But my future is in the Premier League. I still have titles to win.

"After the FA Cup, we will go for the league title. That's my goal."

Giroud shot to prominence in his homeland after modest beginnings in the lower divisions when his goals helped Montpellier to the league title in 2012. He moved to Arsenal that summer for around £9.6 million, and has become a prominent member of the national team setup since, rising to ninth in the all-time scoring charts - only one behind eighth-placed Karim Benzema and two short of Youri Djorkaeff in seventh.

Giroud's current contract runs until 2019, and he may have new personnel to compete with in the frontline next season if Sanchez's touted departure materialises and Arsenal increases its reported €100-million (£87-million) bid for Monaco's teenage forward Kylian Mbappe.