Chelsea decides whether to transfer Jorginho, while Arsenal considers deadline-day move

As Arsenal express interest in bringing the midfielder to north London, Chelsea are willing to sell Jorginho on the final day of the transfer window.

Before the January transfer window closes on Tuesday night, Mikel Arteta wants to add a new midfielder, but Arsenal are having trouble securing a deal for their top target Moises Caicedo.

Arsenal has already been resigned to missing out after Brighton turned down two bids for the Ecuadorian international, each of which was worth between £60 million and £70 million.

But even if a deal for Caicedo falls through, Arsenal has turned its attention to Jorginho and will continue to try to improve Arteta’s midfield alternatives before the transfer deadline.

Jorginho, a player for Italy, has made more than 200 appearances for Chelsea since joining from Napoli in 2018. During his time at Stamford Bridge, he won the Champions League and Europa League.

Jorginho is highly regarded at Chelsea, but the club is hesitant to offer him a new contract at the age of 31, even though his current term is set to expire in the summer.

As a result, Chelsea are open to cashing in on Jorginho in January rather than lose him on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to the Daily Mail.

The Chelsea leadership is motivated to move forward with what could be a record-breaking pursuit of Enzo Fernandez because the opportunity to raise some money also appeals to them.

The Benfica and Argentina midfielder, who is close to becoming the most expensive acquisition in Premier League history, has reportedly received a £115 million bid from Chelsea.

Although Jorginho has been a solid member of Chelsea’s midfield, former Blues player Frank Leboeuf thinks he has reached the end of his usefulness and needs to be replaced.

‘Jorginho has served the club very well but he’s nowhere near it anymore,’ Leboeuf wrote in a column for Chelsea News earlier in the month.

‘I had my time at Chelsea and people made it clear that John Terry was coming and I had to make way for him, and that’s understandable. That’s life.

‘There is a present and there is a past, and the future is not for us. You have to accept that.

‘I do like the way Jorginho plays, but he’s too slow when he has the ball, and defensively he doesn’t participate enough for me.’

The Blues have spent more than £450m on new signings under Todd Boehly but the additions have not had an instant impact, with Chelsea currently 10th in the Premier League, 10 points outside the top-four places.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have won 16 of their 20 league games this season to move five points clear at the top of the English top-flight.