Jorginho ‘priority is renewal’ with Chelsea as agent dismisses Juventus rumors

Jorginho’s ever-talkative agent has claimed in his most recent interview that his client’s “priority is renewal” with Chelsea and that despite growing rumors (once again) of a potential return to the Serie A, no one’s actually called him to inquire, not even Juventus (wink, wink).

That said, Jorginho has just one year left on the five-year deal he signed in 2018, and while he’s been a key player for all three coaches since (Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, and now Thomas Tuchel) and is in-line to take over captain’s duties if (when?) César Azpilicueta leaves this summer, his own future doesn’t seem all that assured.

“He still has one year on his contract with the Blues, the priority is renewal. At the moment, however, Chelsea cannot operate on the market for issues arising from the Abramovich sale, so we will meet with the club to discuss it.

“The Juventus officials didn’t call me, surely because they know that at Chelsea at the moment nothing can be done without a license for the transfer market. Obviously, a profile like Jorge’s would serve many teams, even in Italy. I repeat, we will see the Chelsea situation first, because his priority is the renewal with the Londoners. In any case, I repeat, to date no one has come from Italy to ask me.”

-João Santos; source: 1 Station Radio via Sport Witness

If we are to make this offseason a true rebuilding, maybe it would be a good time for a bit of midfield rejigging as well. Like Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté’s also over 30 and set to enter the final year of his contract — and unfortunately not really as indispensable to the team as before (thanks to increasingly frequent injuries and their effect). We have plenty of talent coming up through the ranks (Conor Gallagher especially), not to mention potential signings like Aurélien Tchouaméni.

I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see, with “wait” being the operative word since the ownership transition is still in progress and the restrictions on the club have not been lifted yet.