Jorginho revealed he was close to signing for Manchester City before joining former manager Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in 2018.
Jorginho has had a tremendous 18 months with Chelsea and Italy. The midfielder first helped the Blues win the Champions League and later triumphed with his national side at the Euros, beating England at the final at Wembley.
While he has become a key part of Thomas Tuchel’s side, the Italian might have been playing his football elsewhere if things had gone a bit differently. Jorginho completed a high profile move to Chelsea in the summer of 2018, although there was tremendous interest from Manchester City, who were reportedly close to completing the deal.
Jorginho had agreed on terms with Pep Guardiola’s side, with the Catalan eager to integrate the Italian in his midfield. However, much to the Premier League Champions’ dismay, the Italian ended up signing for Chelsea in a surprise move, given the Blues weren’t in the running until late.
However, Jorginho looks back at the decision fondly, considering Chelsea won the Champions League, beating Manchester City in the final last season. The midfielder could be on the move again in the summer, with a possible return to Italy on the cards. Juventus remain interested in the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.
In an interview with Brazilian pundit Ale Oliveira, Jorginho spoke about how his Chelsea move transpired and explained his fondness for Pep Guardiola during the Catalan’s Barcelona days. His comments appeared on Sport Witness, where the midfielder spoke about how he was close to joining Manchester City at one stage.
Jorginho said, “A bid arrived and… you don’t know, man. I’m not going to say it. No, I’m kidding (laughs). I wasn’t supposed to come to Chelsea, man. I was supposed to have arrived at another club. Another English club. But it’s not a secret. If you put it on the internet, you find it. It’s Manchester City.
“And then it happened as it happened and I arrived at Chelsea, which also, hey, with history, that’s Chelsea, right, man. So with Chelsea everything happened very fast. When I saw it, I was already in London and I said ‘let’s go’.”
Further, the midfielder also spoke about liking Barcelona and Guardiola when asked if he would have wanted to play under the Catalan. He said, “I have. I don’t know if it will [happen]. But yeah, he’s a reference. When I was a kid, watching his Barcelona win everything with Ronaldinho, Xavi, Iniesta.”
The 30-year-old’s contract with Chelsea expires in 2023. He has grown into a vital player at Stamford Bridge, but things could have turned out very differently for Jorginho and the Blues if he had ended up at the Etihad.