Chelsea handed fresh hope over ‘excellent’ star amid intensifying transfer claims

Chelsea are facing a concerning situation over midfield star Jorginho.

The Italian has been a hit at Stamford Bridge over the last four years, playing a key role in the Blues’ midfield. Jorginho has played the anchor role under a number of managers, and he remains a key part of Graham Potter’s plans.

The problem is that the midfielder, who is now 30 year of age, is out of contract at the end of the season. That means Jorginho is able to agree a pre-contract agreement with any team outside England from January, should no new contract be agreed in the meantime, and he could leave for free at the end of the season.

In the meantime, Jorginho has been impressing for Chelsea, attracting a compliment from Glenn Hoddle for his performance against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night. “Jorginho was excellent today. They (Zagreb) didn’t really get tight on him, but he is someone that can look forward,” Hoddle told BT Sport 2.

The performance comes amid reported interest from Barcelona, who are said to be keen to improve their midfield next season. Sport are claiming Barca are hoping to convince Jorginho to sign a pre-contract agreement in January, ahead of snapping him up for free next summer.

Chelsea will be keen to avoid that fate, and they are said to be considering offering the Italian a new deal, but the clock is ticking ahead of January, when European clubs will be able to speak to the player.

But there is hope Jorginho may not be open to those conversations, given his comments after Chelsea’s win over Zagreb.

“I’m very happy at the moment we’re all very focused on what we need to do,” said the midfielder. “I’m enjoying life here. I’m enjoying working with everyone and I think everybody says the same thing. It’s enjoyable to be at Chelsea.”

Over to Chelsea.