Euro 2020 winner Jorginho Frello is set to call time on his Chelsea stay in the summer, according to new reports.
The Brazil-born Italian international joined the Blues from Napoli in 2018 on the same day Maurizio Sarri was appointed as the Blues manager.
He has since turned into a staple of the team and has risen to the rank of vice-captain. He is also a key part of the Chelsea side that won the UEFA Europa League and Champions League in that period.
Despite all his achievements for the side – some of which saw him make the top three of the 2021 Ballon d’Or rankings – the midfielder has faced constant criticism for his on-field decisions.
He has been linked with a return to Italy for some time and now, reports claim that the 30-year-old is finally going to call time on his Premier League sojourn.
Jorginho has a running contract until 2023 at the club and there are no chances of renewal talks taking place at the moment due to the sanctions placed on the club by the government of the United Kingdom due to its affiliation to Roman Abramovich, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
His agent has always teased a return to the league where Jorginho cut his teeth and reports claim that Juventus are showing an interest in securing his services this summer. The reports, made by Italian journalist Filippo Cornacchia, also claim that Juventus have been emboldened in their pursuit by the midfielder’s decision to not sign a new deal.
Cornacchia claims that Juventus are looking to sell Arthur in the summer and have eyes on Jorginho as his replacement.
“I don’t know what will happen in June, he will depend on the offer, he can leave and at that point, Juventus would try to sign Jorginho, as soon as they can talk to Chelsea,” said Cornacchia in an interview with local media.
“Jorginho has a one-year contract that he will not renew. It’s clear that Arthur’s farewell is needed for his arrival.”
Chelsea sale: John Terry-led group partners with Atalanta co-owner
Elsewhere, True Blues, a consortium led by former Chelsea captain John Terry, has thrown their weight behind the bid to buy Chelsea from Stephen Pagliuca, co-owner of Serie A club Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, popularly called Atalanta.
Pagliuca, who only acquired his stake in the Serie A club this season, has stated that he is willing to sell his shares in the Serie A club if it means he can buy Chelsea.
Terry, who formed the True Blues consortium in order to make sure that there is a fan representation in the new ownership of the club, had spoken to several bidders. Now, Terry’s group, which claims to have received £150 million from fans, have chosen to pitch their tent with the Italian American, who also co-owns the NBA franchise, Boston Celtics.
Explaining their decision to back Pagliuca, the True Blues consortium stated: “Having engaged and being well received by all the bidders we were recently able to spend some time with Steve and Larry [Pagliuca’s partner in the bid to buy Chelsea] and getting to know their bid we’re again confident that they are aligned with Chelsea fans, and of course have experience in this area of owning sports teams.
“We feel the club are in a fortunate position with the final bidders and look forward to continuing dialogue with them.”
Pagliuca had previously revealed that he would introduce a scheme to allow Chelsea fans to have ownership stakes in the club.
