Premier League giants Liverpool look set to lose Emre Can to Serie A champions Juventus – but have identified Jorginho as a potential successor.
Another masterful Emre Can performance must be a little bittersweet for Liverpool fans.
The German international scored his sixth goal of the season with a bullet header in the 4-1 thrashing of West Ham on Saturday and then set up Roberto Firmino’s trademark ‘no-look’ finish with a perfectly weighted chipped pass.
Though it seems that Can’s days at Anfield is numbered. He is out of contract in the summer and, amid some very public courting, Sky Sports claimed in January that he has reached an agreement in principle to sign for Serie A giants Juventus.
But if the Times are to be believed, Liverpool are looking to Italy for a player who could be more than a replacement for Can. In Napoli playmaker Jorginho, the Reds might have discovered a player in another league entirely to the former Bayern Munich youngster.
Not a replacement; an upgrade
The Italian international may be older than Liverpool’s number 23 and only scored half as many goals this season, but while Can remains inconsistent, Jorginho has evolved into one of the most reliable midfielders in world football.
He has been a key cog in Napoli’s Scudetto bid, with his sublime performances from the centre of the park making him every bit as important as Kalidou Koulibaly, Marek Hamsik or Dries Mertens.
In fact, there is arguably no better distributor of the ball in European football right now than Jorginho, who leaves Sergio Busquetts, Marco Verratti, Toni Kroos and co trailing in his wake for average passes per game.
And with his agent Joao Santos claiming sensationally that he could be ‘sacrificed’ by Napoli to fund a deal for Sampdoria’s Lucas Torreira, per the Mail, Liverpool should not wait around.
Jorginho for Can is a no-brainer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
