Jorginho's agent has explained the impact of Roman Abramovich's sanctions on Chelsea's contracts and transfer business, insisting the midfielder wants to sign a new deal in west London despite recent reports linking him with a move away.
The Italian’s contract currently expires in 2023, but the Blues are unable to enter negotiations with him because of the sanctions currently imposed on the club. The situation appears to have caught the attention of several top sides who feel that they could capitalise on the situation.
Juventus are amongst the clubs interested in the midfielder, who signed for Chelsea in 2018. But Jorginho’s agent Joao Santos has denied claims that an approach has been made, whilst also outlining his client’s plans for the future that are being halted by the sanctions imposed on Blues owner Roman Abramovich.
He told Calcio Mercato : “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.”
The news will be music to the ears of many Chelsea fans given that they are set to lose several stars this summer already. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are both departing at the end of the season when their contracts expire, whilst Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta have also been heavily linked with Barcelona.
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Jorginho has made 29 Premier League appearances for Chelsea so far this season, scoring six and assisting two. And given his calming presence in the centre of the park, it would be a significant loss for the Blues if they failed to re-negotiate a deal for the 30-year-old when they are able to.
Otherwise, Jorginho will be following Rudiger out of the exit in 12 months’ time. Speaking to The Players’ Tribune about why he decided to leave the Blues, the central defender explained: “Unfortunately, my contract negotiations had already started to get difficult last fall. Business is business, but when you don’t hear any news from the club from August to January, the situation becomes complicated.
“After the first offer, there was a long gap of just nothing. We’re not robots, you know? You cannot wait for months with so much uncertainty about your future. Obviously, no one saw the sanctions coming, but in the end, other big clubs were showing interest, and I had to make a decision. I will leave it at that, because business aside, I have nothing bad to say about this club.”
