Arsenal have reportedly made an ‘approach’ to Chelsea to see if Jorginho is available as they look to identify a suitable alternative to Moises Caicedo.
The Premier League leaders have stepped up their efforts to sign a midfielder. Declan Rice is said to be a key summer target but they are also keen to bring one in before Tuesday night’s transfer deadline.
Brighton star Caicedo has emerged as a target of late but the Premier League side are unwilling to let him leave unless their £80m asking price is met this month.
The Ecuador international is pushing for a move and has since been told to stay away from the training ground until the transfer window closes.
Arsenal are not giving up though, with it reported on Monday that they were making a third bid for the centre-midfielder which was worth around £75m.
The Gunners smartly have an eye on alternatives in case they are unable to bring in Caicedo. Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans has been mentioned as a target but they are now looking at Jorginho.
David Ornstein of The Athletic is reporting that ‘Arsenal are among the clubs exploring a possible move for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho before the transfer deadline.’
Arsenal have ‘expressed interest’ in the Italy international but they are aware that ‘time and options are running out’.
Jorginho’s contract at Chelsea expires in the summer so the London outfit are at risk of losing him for nothing later this year.
A separate report from Fabrizio Romano adds that an “approach” for Jorginho has been made by Arsenal. He is “an option” in case the deal for Caicedo falls through.
Chelsea are “open to selling” but they will ask for an “important fee” from their rivals.
The Blues are keen to sign Enzo Fernandez before the transfer deadline. Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol subsequently notes that they “need to let players go”.
“Chelsea have brought in a lot of players this month and they need to let players go before the deadline closes,” Solhekol said.
“One of the players that could leave is Conor Gallagher. The situation as far as he is concerned is that Everton have made it clear that they are willing to pay £40m for him plus £5m in add-ons.
“But the latest information that we are receiving is that Gallagher does not want to go to Everton, at the moment.”
He adds: “Lots of other interest in players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Hakim Ziyech. I think Chelsea’s squad at the moment is something like 32 players. They need to sell and at least loan out a few of them.”
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