Juventus are reportedly ready to step up their pursuit for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho this summer.
The Italian side could look for midfield reinforcements as Adrien Rabiot has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United this summer.
Jorginho netted Chelsea’s first goal of the season in their Premier League opening win against Everton last weekend, with it looking like he will play a key part for Thomas Tuchel’s side once again.
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The Blues have been heavily linked with a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong in recent weeks, with it believed that Tuchel’s side are ready to match Manchester United’s £72 million bid for the Dutch midfielder.
If Chelsea are successful in their bid for the 25-year-old, they would have an excess of midfield talent with Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour all currently at the club.
While it looks like Gilmour will depart on another loan spell this summer, Chelsea could look to offload other midfielders if they are successful in their bid for De Jong.
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Jorginho appears to be attracting the most interest, while West Ham United and Crystal Palace are both looking at Gallagher in the window.
According to Nick Purewal, Juventus are now ready to step up their pursuit of Jorginho.
This will happen if or when Manchester United complete the signing of Rabiot, freeing up a space in midfield for the Turin side.
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Juventus are said to be hopeful that they can persuade both Chelsea to sell Jorginho this summer, as well as convincing the Italian to move back to the Serie A.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea would allow their vice-captain to leave the club before the end of the transfer window, with the Premier League season already underway.
Tuchel has previously admitted his desire to sort out the futures of both Kante and Jorginho this summer, with the pair’s contracts expiring at the end of the season.
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Speaking at the end of last season, he said:"With important players, it’s a wish as a coach that we solve this in the summer anyway.
“Then we have the same talks about Toni and Andreas, we just swap the names, we talk about it through winter, then comes January, then the agents talk with these clubs and the brother to the other...it would be nice if we can avoid it.
“But in the moment, it’s a bit difficult.
"Yes, this should be the target for all of us.”
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If Jorginho looks unlikely to extend, it may be wise for Chelsea to take advantage of Juventus’ interest this summer and pursue other targets.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Jorginho, Juventus, Football, Transfers
Nick Emms