Chelsea midfielder Jorginho isn't thinking about a move away from the club this summer, but the Italian admits he doesn't know where his future lies with less than a year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Jorginho has re-established himself as an integral member of the Chelsea squad since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel 18 months ago. He produced a run of standout performances in the 2021 Champions League knockout stage to help the Blues clinch the big-eared trophy and finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting later that year.
Last season wasn't as successful for the 30-year-old, although that was largely due to circumstances. Off the back of winning Euro 2020 with Italy, Jorginho was almost immediately back in action and was then run into the ground as the campaign progressed and midfield injuries mounted.
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Jorginho needed a break; this summer he got it. The former Napoli star had more than a month off to relax and recharge. By his own admission, the time away was important. And there were no distractions given Chelsea are yet to open talks over a new contract with the Italian international.
As things stand, Jorginho can leave Chelsea on a free transfer at the end of the season – that is if a transfer doesn't materialize before then. football.london understands Juventus maintain their long-term interest in the Blues' vice-captain.
Jorginho, however, isn't fixated on a move away. He is settled in London and happy at Stamford Bridge. "Of course, I love Chelsea. I feel very well here and of course, I’d like to stay," said Jorginho. "But you know, there is a lot going on and we don’t know. As I said before, I am here now and I have contract and I love to be here, I feel very well here. So I don’t think about moving anywhere."
He added: "For many years now [there is speculation]. Every single year! I don’t think like this. I just think about where I am and focus 100%. I’m at Chelsea and I think about Chelsea 100%."
Jorginho isn't the only Chelsea player whose long-term future is uncertain. N'Golo Kante is also out of contract next summer while the futures of Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Hakim Ziyech, to name just three, are up in the air amid interest from Barcelona and AC Milan.
"We don’t know (what is going to happen) but we are professionals," said Jorginho. "The only thing I feel I can say is that everyone is still here they need to focus on what they are doing here every single day, not just for the club but for themselves because you don’t know what is going to happen.
"Maybe they can have an opportunity here, they don’t go anywhere, they stay here and can help us. Every day (they need to) push themselves to work hard and think for this team because it is their team now. They are here now. If tomorrow something happens then they can think another thing."
Jorginho's focus is clear: the 2022/23 season. He knows there is work to be done to close the gap to Liverpool and Man City in the Premier League but is excited about the challenge. “The motivation is that I do what I love," he said. "This was my dream and so the motivation is that I do what I dreamed when I was a kid.
"I dreamt that I could win – and so if I win the same title it is still special. I motivate myself to work hard, push hard every single day because I do what I love.
"To talk at the beginning of the season is easy; you just look at the squad and say it’s better or that was better. What really counts is the results at the end of the season. So I prefer to talk at the end of the season about what we’ve done.”
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