Arsenal are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Jorginho if they miss out on primary targets Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he wants at least one new midfielder this summer to add some more depth to his squad, although the cost of his main targets has proven to be a real problem thus far.
Atlético Madrid are demanding Partey’s full £45m release clause, while Lyon want around £55m for Aouar, but Arsenal aren’t exactly swimming in funds this summer and have been forced to focus on trying to pull off swap deals.
Despite the lack of transfer funds, Sky Sports News state that Arsenal have identified Jorginho as another possible signing, with Arteta keen to finally work with the Italian.
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Arteta was the assistant manager at Manchester City when Pep Guardiola’s side came close to landing Jorginho from Napoli in 2018, only for Chelsea to swoop in at the last minute and bring him over alongside Maurizio Sarri.
It’s suggested that Arsenal are close to making room in their squad by loaning Lucas Torreira out to Atlético, but that doesn’t answer the main question of just how the Gunners would be able to afford such a deal.
Chelsea paid £57m to land Jorginho two years ago and have made it clear that any bids for the Italian would have to be around that mark for club officials to even consider letting him go.
He was linked with a move away from the club earlier in the summer, but after Sarri’s departure from Juventus, the rumours appear to have completely disappeared and Frank Lampard now seems set to stick with Jorginho, who has captained Chelsea in both their league games thus far.
If the Gunners don’t have the money to complete deals for either Partey or Aouar, they definitely don’t have the money to land Jorginho.
There were some ridiculous reports circulating on Twitter suggesting Chelsea might be interested in a swap deal involving Mattéo Guendouzi, but there doesn’t seem to be much to that story either.
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