Jeremie Aliadiere is close to a move back to France with Montpellier, leaving Umm Salal after two seasons with the Qatari side for Muither SC who released him after six months.

Aliadiere signed for Arsenal in 1999 when he was just 16 but despite breaking into the first team just two years later, he would go on to make just 75 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals.

A loan to Celtic (2 appearances) in 2005 was followed by others to West Ham (8), and Wolves (14) before he was sold to Middlesbrough in 2007. Staying there three years, he scored 12 in his 86 appearances before he was off again, this time to Lorient, Lauren Koscielny’s former club.

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Lorient’s French forward Jeremie Aliadiere celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match Lorient vs Lille on May 17, 2014 at the Moustoir stadium in Lorient, western France. AFP PHOTO / JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD (Photo credit should read JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD/AFP/Getty Images)

Three years there with 31 in 83 was followed by a move, in 2014, to Qatar and Umm Salal. A free transfer to Muaither in January came to an end this summer when he was released. In total, he made 10 appearances last season, scoring three and averaging 58 minutes per game.

Now 33, reports in France claim Olivier Giroud’s former club are interested in signing him on a free after the player decided to return to his home country.

He has offers from both Montpellier and Nantes while is also said to be waiting to see if initial contacts from Nice and Caen are followed up.