Jorginho is attracting interest from Barcelona, with the Catalan club considering signing the Chelsea midfielder in 2023.
As per Fichajes, Barcelona are plotting a sensational swoop for Jorginho, who will be able to negotiate terms with other clubs once January kicks in. The Italian international is embroiled in deep negotiations with Chelsea for his contract renewal, but nothing has been finalised yet.
Jorginho has led a quiet revolution at Stamford Bridge since his arrival in 2018. The player has helped the west London club in lifting one UEFA Champions League and one Europa League title and has also been chipping with useful contributions week in and week out.
The Blues invested heavily in the summer, but they overlooked the most necessary part as overhauling the midfield should have been their priority. Denis Zakaria has failed to establish a foothold, with Conor Gallagher only just settling down. So some heavy arrangements need to be done.
Jorginho demanded a substantial hike to his current wages as the player wants to pocket to the tune of €13.6 million, double his current salary. Such a situation has compelled Barcelona to prepare an offer to sign the player.
Chelsea are willing to offer the player a new deal worth €8 million per season, but he has so far refused to budge on his demand. With Barcelona lurking around pretty closely, the 30-year-old knows he has the upper hand in this negotiation and will try to extract as much money as possible.
Gerard Pique’s retirement has come as a breath of fresh air to the Catalans’ management as the former Manchester United defender’s decision to terminate his contract will likely save the club more than €60 million.
They will try to fund a January move for Jorginho using this money as Chelsea might not risk losing the player for free once his contract expires in the summer. An offer of more than €20 million should be enough to tempt the west Londoners to grant a sale.
But given their current form, losing Jorginho would dent their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League. It will be interesting to see whether Barcelona wait till the summer to grab the Chelsea vice-captain for free or accelerate a move in winter.
