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Barcelona contemplating swoop for Arsenal star Jorginho

By Ritayan Chatterjee on September 7, 2023

Barcelona are reportedly exploring the possibility of signing Arsenal star Jorginho in the January transfer window, as per the Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.

After joining the Gunners back in January in a £12m deal, the Italian has been struggling to break into Mikel Arteta’s starting eleven over the last few months.

He was signed to support Thomas Partey last term, however, although Jorginho showcased glimpses of his talent at times, Arsenal didn’t look the same team without the Ghanaian in the starting eleven.

So, Arteta has opted to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United for an eye-watering £105m fee this summer. Upon the Englishman’s arrival, Jorginho’s first-team appearances have dried up even more this season.

Therefore, speculation has already started to emerge as to whether he is on the Gunners boss’ plan for this term. It has been suggested that Fenerbahce has registered their interest in the 31-year-old and are looking to sign him by taking advantage of his current situation.

Jorginho linked with Barcelona

However, the player’s agent has recently said that Jorginho isn’t planning to move away at the moment and is focused on playing for the North London club.

Meanwhile, according to the report by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are interested in signing a new holding midfielder following the departure of Sergio Busquets. They have already purchased Oriol Romeu from Girona to add depth to their engine room but are aiming to sign another option in January with Jorginho emerging as a serious target.

It is going to be interesting to see whether Jorginho would be tempted to go to Barcelona if his situation remains the same at Arsenal in the next few months should the Catalan giants make a concrete approach.

Jorginho’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this season and there is an option to extend the deal for one more year. So, Arsenal could opt to cash-in on him in January to make the most profit out of his sale.

However, the Emirates club should only allow the Italian’s departure if they manage to sign a replacement for him. But if they couldn’t afford to do that having already splashed big money this summer, then they would be better off keeping hold of him until the end of this season at least.