Juventus transfer news: Italian giants working on a deal to bring Jorginho to the club
Juventus are interested in bringing Chelsea's Jorginho to Italy, according to Tuttosport.
Jorginho has been an unused substitute since the return of football, sitting on the bench for each of Chelsea's last four games.
Juventus want Sarri-Jorginho reunion
Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri is no stranger to Jorginho. The Italian boss built his Napoli side around the midfielder, before taking him to Chelsea when he became the manager there.
Sarri left for Juventus after a season with Chelsea. Having been an important part of Frank Lampard's side pre-lockdown, Jorginho has found his place taken by young Billy Gilmour.
This has meant that Juventus are interested in a deal for the Italy international. The Old Lady are said to be formulating a deal akin to one that brought Juan Cuadrado to the club. Cuadrado joined Juventus from Chelsea on an initial year-long loan deal. The Colombian's loan deal was then extended for a further three years, with an obligation to buy. Juventus activated that clause in 2017.
Juventus are trying to structure a deal for Jorginho in a similar way. The club are willing to offer a two-year loan deal to Chelsea with an obligation to buy.
Juventus currently have an abundance of midfielders. They just concluded a controversial deal for Barcelona midfielder Arthur. A swap deal, this move has meant that Miralem Pjanic will go in the other direction.
Apart from the Brazilian, Juventus have Rodrigo Bentancur, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira to choose from. They also have young Dejan Kulusevski, currently on loan at Parma, who is highly regarded by the Juventus hierarchy.
Also Read: EPL legend Paul Scholes makes Erling Haland admission and urges Manchester United to sign a central defender
Despite such talents in midfield, Juventus have been linked with a variety of midfielders over the last few months. Recently, it was reported that Tottenham Hotspur had turned down a swap deal offer from the Bianconeri for Tanguy Ndombele and Ramsey. Juventus are also said to be keeping an eye on Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.
Jorginho has been a good player for Chelsea. He joined the club from Napoli in 2018 for a fee of £50 million, rejecting Manchester City in the process. Since then, the former Verona player has made 91 appearances in all competitions for the Blues. He has scored nine goals and provided two assists.
The midfielder was one of Lampard's go-to men during the start of the season. The 28-year old has made 23 starts in the league, scoring four goals and providing two assists. He averages the most interceptions per game in the Chelsea squad.
However, the emergence of 19-year-old Billy Gilmour has relegated Jorginho to the bench. Khedira is expected to leave Juventus this summer, while the futures of Rabiot and Ramsey look uncertain as well.
The links to Juventus are understandable, not just because of Sarri. Jorginho's ability to control the game with his passing has been well-documented from his Napoli days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, clubs are wary about spending exorbitant amounts of money. It will be interesting to see how the deal is structured.
Also Read: Manchester United Transfer News: Raul Jimenez should move to Old Trafford, according to national team manager