Reported Arsenal target Kaio Jorge wants to make the leap to Europe after exploding onto the scene at Santos, the striker’s agent Carlos Neto told Radio Kiss Kiss, via Corriere dello Sport.
Any hopes Santos had of selling the Samba starlet for a similar fee to the one Barcelona paid for a fresh-faced Neymar eight years ago have gone up in smoke.
Jorge’s £18 million price-tag is dropping by the day, according to Il Romanista, with Peixe president Andres Rueda admitting to ESPN that Santos will be powerless to prevent his impending departure.
With interest rising all over Europe, Arsenal face a major battle if they want to add Jorge to a sturdy backbone of Brazilian players at the Emirates (Calciomercato).
Napoli, Ajax, AC Milan and more have also been linked.
But, while his destination remains a mystery, it seems that Jorge would welcome the chance to follow in Neymar’s footsteps at some point this summer.
“The interest of Napoli in Kaio Jorge ? I can say that all the Brazilian players arrive at a point in their career where they want to experience in Europe,” agent Neto explained.
“Napoli is a great club where absolute talents like Diego Armando Maradona played, as well as Brazilian players like Careca and Alemao who made history with the Neapolitan club.
“I have not had any direct contact with Napoli but I am not surprised that they like Kaio Jorge: he is a modern striker, with class, talent and Brazilian imagination, he can do well in the penalty area but helps the team even outside the area too.”
Jorge scored nine goals for Santos in the 2020 campaign but, with just four of those coming in 28 league games, the teenager clearly has a lot to learn.
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