Manchester City have reportedly held talks with the representatives of Napoli ace Jorginho, who is also said to be a target for cross town rivals Manchester United.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester City are currently leading the race to sign the 26-year-old midfielder and the report states that the Italian international is expected to cost the Citizens around £50 million.
The report goes on to state that even Manchester United had made an offer for the Hellas Verona academy product, but City are in pole position to secure the midfield ace. Liverpool were initially thought to be favourites to secure Jorginho, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
Jorginho has won many plaudits this season for his superb performances in midfield. Usually deployed at the base of a three-man midfield, he runs the show for Maurizio Sarri’s men, keeping things ticking in the middle of the park and essentially plays the role of creator-in-chief.
His performances deep in midfield have impressed Pep Guardiola, who also uses the same 4-3-3 formation as Sarri does at Napoli and the former Barcelona boss reportedly believes that the Brazilian born midfielder would be a great fit for his system and philosophy at Manchester City.
A few days ago it was rumoured that Jorginho himself preferred a move to Manchester City over Manchester United in the summer and it’s not difficult to see why, given the dominating fashion in which City raced to the summit of the league and beautiful football they played to get there.
Over the course of the past two season at Napoli, Sarri has implemented the same philosophy of fast, attractive, possession-based football that which made Guardiola so famous. Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, is known for his more defensive approach.
While his versatility would allow him to slot right alongside Paul Pogba in midfield or join with the Frenchman and Nemanja Matic in a midfield three, Guardiola’s philosophy and style would allow for a near seamless transition with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Manchester United still have more than enough time to change his mind before now and the end of the summer transfer window. £50 million is a fee that both City and United wouldn’t think twice before parting with and in this inflated market, there are hardly any midfielders with the experience and quality of Jorginho who would come for the same amount.
