Jorginho-Lazio: Arsenal are ready to sell him, but the crux is his salary

Here is the right director. The one that would make everyone agree. And that, despite being an established player, he wouldn’t even have the contraindication of obscuring the growth in the role of Danilo Cataldi. Because he could easily alternate with the Roman player. Jorginho, the name is enough.

He is Lazio’s new/old target as central midfielder. Vecchio, because it is not the first time that his name has been linked to the Biancoceleste club. New, because in the past it was just a suggestion, this time it’s instead a project, even if still in the embryonic stage and in any case difficult to implement.

Pupil

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Jorginho, who will turn 32 in December, has been playing for Arsenal since last January after having been a regular at Chelsea for the previous four-and-a-half years. With the London Blues he won the Champions League in 2021 and the Europa League in 2019, the latter with Sarri on the bench. His main sponsor is the Tuscan coach. Which also represents the main weapon in favor of Lazio to convince the player to accept the transfer (in addition to the season at Chelsea, Sarri also coached him in Naples for three years). With Arsenal, the Italian-Brazilian’s contract expires in a year and the London club would seem willing to let him leave for a reasonable fee if the player asks for it. Reasonable, however, does not mean negligible or even low, also because in January the Gunners paid out 12 million euros to snatch him from Chelsea. It is easy for Londoners to ask for a similar amount to sell him.

The engagement node

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However, the will of the player could facilitate the negotiation. In the sense that Arsenal could meet any request from the former Chelsea player to return to Italy. A prospect that Jorginho doesn’t mind at all after having spent the last five years in the Premier League. By returning to Serie A, the former Napoli player would also have the opportunity to better prepare for the 2024 European Championship in which he will have to defend the title conquered in London in 2021 with the Azzurri. And he would certainly like to return to work with Sarri, the his mentor, the man thanks to whom his career took off. So it’s a feasible operation. But there’s a knot this big: it’s the player’s engagement. The midfielder currently has a salary of around 6.5 million a year. Absolutely out of reach for Lazio. To convince him to accept a lower figure (not exceeding 4 million) all the good offices of Sarri will be needed. And maybe even a long contract. Because Jorginho has guaranteed that figure of 6.5 million for just one more year. It is legitimate that he still aspires to earn those figures. He could certainly find some club that would guarantee them, but – given his age – at most for another 2-3 years. Lazio, as has already been done with other players in the past, could instead offer him a contract with lower figures, but with a longer duration, even five years.

The alternatives

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The road is therefore narrow. But passable. And Lazio does not want to leave any stone unturned. Also because Jorginho would significantly increase the technical rate of the team. Well, it’s worth a try. In the meantime, alternative candidates resist. The more concrete one leads to Istanbul, where the Uruguayan Torreira plays (with Galatasaray). But there are also a couple of Italian tracks, relating to foreign Serie A players: Schouten (Bologna) and Boloca (Frosinone). Elements that don’t have the same pedigree as Jorginho, but which are certainly more affordable.