90min

Jorginho Linked With Juventus as Chelsea Look to Raise Funds for New Signings

By Jamie Spencer

Jorginho could join Juventus after falling out of favour at Chelsea
Jorginho could join Juventus after falling out of favour at Chelsea / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has been linked with a move to Juventus and a reunion with former coach Maurizio Sarri that could help the Stamford Bridge club fund an approach for Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz and others.

Chelsea have already spent the best part of £90m ahead of next season to secure deals for Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. The club has also raised additional funds through sales since last summer, but the ongoing squad rebuild is far from complete and other positions are still being targeted.

Chelsea have already signed Timo Werner
Chelsea have already signed Timo Werner / Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Jorginho could be seen as a saleable asset as the Italy international has surprisingly fallen badly out of favour since the season restarted last month.

Prior to the campaign being put on hold he was a regular starter and was even named captain against West Ham in November. But a 10-minute cameo in Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace was his first appearance of the restart, having only been an unused substitute in the three previous Premier League games and the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester.

The Daily Mirror writes that Juventus are ‘expressing interest’ in Jorginho. That would mean playing under Sarri at a third different club after already doing so at both Napoli and Chelsea.

Jorginho’s agent Joao Santos revealed to 90min in April that a new contract at Chelsea was actually being discussed. However, he added that there were offers from two other un-named clubs on the table, but admitted he had not so far had any contact with Juventus at that time.

Jorginho has long been a favourite of Maurizio Sarri
Jorginho has long been a favourite of Maurizio Sarri / Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

“I have received official offers from two top clubs,” Santos said. “At the moment I haven't talked to anyone at Juventus. We all know how highly Sarri thinks of him, but I can't say if it is part of the Juventus technical project because, I don't know what their plans are for next season.”

The Mirror also notes that N’Golo Kante is among those who could be sold to raise funds and make way for the future, something 90min revealed in May. Real Madrid are interested in the 29-year-old Frenchman, while Paris Saint-Germain are expected to make an approach if they believe he is available. Chelsea are happy with Kante but will consider selling if an acceptable comes in.

The Mirror goes on to suggest that Chelsea are eyeing West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, who was formerly a youth player with the Blues and remains close friends with Mason Mount.

N'Golo Kante could be sold for the right price
N'Golo Kante could be sold for the right price / Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Chelsea also still want a new left-back and new centre-back this summer, with Ben Chilwell the player primarily linked with the former role. 90min was informed by a source in March that the club would prefer to spend big on a striker (which they have done to get Werner) and centre-back, potentially finding a cheaper alternative at left-back to stretch their budget further.

Kalidou Koulibaly is on the radar, although it is understood signing the Senegalese star from Napoli would potentially cost a club-record fee. Dayot Upamencano at RB Leipzig and Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes are other options being monitored. At left-back, Porto’s Alex Telles, Basel’s Blas Riveros and even Aston Villa’s Matt Targett are being considered.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!