Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Jorginho and are considering offering Miralem Pjanic in a potential swap deal for the Italian.
According to a report from Sport, Barcelona are interested in making a move for Chelsea’s Italian midfielder Jorginho and would be open to offering Miralem Pjanic as part of a player-swap arrangement with the Premier League giants.
Jorginho arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2018, signing for Serie A side Napoli. While he has had his ups and downs at Stamford Bridge, the 29-year-old has largely been a reliable player and a key member of the side under all three managers he has played so far, be it Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard or Thomas Tuchel.
Till date, Jorginho has accumulated 137 appearances for Chelsea, 39 of which have come in the ongoing campaign, with the midfielder being almost an ever-present figure in the starting XI alongside either N’Golo Kante or Mateo Kovacic. And the 29-year-old Italian international has now registered on the radars of La Liga heavyweights Barcelona.
The Catalans are in the market for a new central midfielder as they look to secure a replacement for long-serving ace Sergio Busquets who is fast approaching the final stages of his career. This has seen Barcelona get linked with a move for Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli, while the likes of Mikel Merino and Eduardo Camavinga have also been mooted as potential targets.
Now, Jorginho is the latest on the list of midfielders that Barcelona are interested in, heading into the summer transfer window. However, given their delicate financial situation, the Blaugrana are unlikely to be able to afford Jorginho, who still has two years left on his contract with Chelsea. As a result, the La Liga side are considering a player swap deal, involving summer signing Miralem Pjanic.
The Bosnian arrived at Camp Nou from Juventus less than a year ago but has largely underwhelmed and has fallen behind the likes of Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri as well as Ilaix Moriba in the pecking order of things at the club. As a result, Barcelona are contemplating offloading Pjanic at the end of the season, with there being reports of an enquiry made by Chelsea for his services.
Barcelona are now hoping to capitalise any such interest from the Blues in their midfielder to push through a potential exchange deal that would see Pjanic move to Stamford Bridge while Jorginho arrives at Camp Nou. However, given how pivotal the Italian has been under Tuchel of late, it is unlikely that Chelsea would be open to such an operation.
Barcelona, for their part, have also discussed a swap deal between Pjanic and Rodrigo Bentancur with Juventus, while Inter Milan are another club that have shown an interest in the Bosnian international. It does seem like the midfielder’s time at Camp Nou could be drawing to a close this summer, but a swap deal with Chelsea involving Jorginho seems like a distant possibility.