Jorginho wants pay parity with César Azpilicueta in new Chelsea deal — report

Jorginho is said to be “prioritizing” a new contract with Chelsea above all other options potentially available to him, but that doesn’t mean that he’s willing to agree a new deal at all cost — especially with his agent already working hard in creating leverage in the free agent market (Barcelona, Juventus, etc).

According to the Evening Standard, the 30-year-old has responded to Chelsea’s opening offer of an extension by requesting to match the wages given to César Azpilicueta this summer, amounting to about a 25 per cent payrise (£120k to £150k per week). The offer that had been tabled would’ve kept the Vice-captain’s wages at their current level.

The report does not specify any other terms that may be under discussion, including the length of the new deal. For what it’s worth, we had offered two years to both Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kanté, though only the former found those acceptable.

Jorginho leads our central midfielders in minutes at the moment, and is one of three players alongside Mason Mount and Kai Havertz to have featured in every single game so far this season. Letting him (and Kanté) walk for free next summer would certainly be a momentous choice.