According to ESPN, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is now ‘desperate’ to sign Chelsea midfielder Jorginho before Monday’s transfer deadline.
The Gunners have missed out on Lyon star Houssem Aouar, having fallen well short of Lyon’s asking price during lengthy talks.
That means Arteta is having to turn his attention to other midfielders, and it’s Chelsea ace Jorginho who is emerging as a top target.
Arteta is described as being ‘desperate’ to sign the Italian on loan, despite the fact that he scored two penalties for Chelsea against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Chelsea are allegedly reluctant to let Jorginho go, unless they bring in a new holding midfielder of their own amid links to West Ham United’s Declan Rice.
Jorginho, 28, was a favourite of Maurizio Sarri at Napoli and Chelsea, with his composure and passing in front of the back four making him an important cog at Stamford Bridge.
A move to North London seems hard to imagine given the rivalry between the two clubs, but David Luiz and Petr Cech have both left Chelsea for Arsenal in recent memory, so maybe Jorginho could too.
Hard-working and cultured on the ball, Jorginho could bring some proven quality to the Arsenal midfield, but time is running out – and a deal looks difficult given that it depends on Chelsea signing another player themselves.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
