Jorginho is subject to growing interest from a host of Europe's leading sides amid an uncertain future at Chelsea. The 29-year-old sees his current deal with the Blues expire at the end of next season and, as it stands, he'll be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement in January.
The Italy international's agent Joao Santos has been vocal regarding his client's future, suggesting that a return to the Serie A is inevitable. His representative has claimed that the midfielder has the attention of AC Milan, Inter, Juventus, Roma and Napoli, as well as Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
Jorginho, who has been valued at approximately £42m, has enjoyed the heights of his career — for both club and country — since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2019. He's been crowned a European champion on both the domestic and international stage, while also placing third in the Ballon d'Or.
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Jorginho has often been central to his side's success and would be a miss. So, prospective Chelsea owners have been shown who the Italian's statistical replacement could be. Courtesy of data analyst @louorns, Arsenal target Ruben Neves has emerged as an archetype of the Blues midfielder.
The duo are considered the metronomes of their respective sides; they see a lot of the ball throughout the course of a game and keep possession ticking. Predominantly, their roles are to recycle possession and redistribute the ball when the opposition are retracting and surrendering yards.
As seen in the graphic, Jorginho and Neves attempt a similar number of passes per 90 minutes, of which a similar percentage are progressive. However, while the Wolves midfielder poses to prospective Chelsea owners as Thomas Tuchel's ideal replacement for the Italian, Mikel Arteta has made the Portuguese playmaker a top target, according to reports.
Manchester Evening News' chief Sports correspondent Samuel Luckhurst has reported that the Gunners have entered the race for Neves, alongside Barcelona and Manchester United. Signing a new midfielder has become one of the Gunners' priorities in the upcoming window, and they are very interested in the 25-year-old.
But, if Chelsea are looking to find an heir to Jorginho's throne, then the west Londoners might have to enter the race and put up a fight for the £36m-rated maestro.
