Arsenal agree £13m fee with Chelsea for Jorginho transfer

The Italian midfielder has been at Chelsea since 2018

Miguel Delaney
Chief Football Writer
Tuesday 31 January 2023 09:44 EST
Comments
(Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Arsenal and Chelsea have agreed a £13 million deal for Jorginho, with the 31-year-old midfielder now set to complete a medical.

Formal negotiations on a fee began on Monday afternoon and were concluded swiftly due to the suitability to all parties. Chelsea want to clear space in an increasingly bloated squad, Jorginho wants football, and Arsenal want a midfielder to bolster their title challenge.

The thinness in that area combined with Thomas Partey's risk of injury in Friday night's FA Cup defeat to Manchester City only convinced Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy that they had to bring another player of quality in, which initially hastened a move for Moises Caicedo.

Brighton and Hove Albion were obstinate in their refusal to sell the player for anything under their valuation in this window, and Arsenal did not want to go above a £65m straight fee. The club felt £90m was far too high for a player they greatly admire but still had relatively little experience, especially with a planned move for West Ham United's Declan Rice in the summer.

That made Jorginho a logical option, with Chelsea and Arsenal having done business in the past. The Italian international himself quickly agreed personal terms and agreed a deal of one and a half years with the option of a further season.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in