Chelsea’s Jorginho would be open to a Napoli return if his contract extension talks with the west London side breakdown in the coming weeks, according to reports.
The Italian’s current deal is set to expire in the summer and – with the club planning a move for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez – could likely leave Stamford Bridge next year.
His agent has already been exploring potential options for the midfielder and a return to Italy seems to be the favoured choice – should Chelsea not renew his deal.
According to Sky Italy, Chelsea are willing to negotiate a contract extension with the midfielder and only a call from Napoli would make the player reconsider his options.
The Euro 2020 winner can leave London in June 2023 and would like to end his career in Naples – the club where the Blues signed him from back in 2018.
If his Chelsea negotiations were to come to a breakdown, the player would officially ask his entourage to try to find an agreement with the Italian side.
However, given Napoli’s current financial struggles, a potential return is still made complicated by the extortionate wage that Jorginho boasts in his Chelsea deal.
According to Republica, Jorginho’s €6million (£5.3m) salary is too much for Aurelio De Laurentiis’ Napoli and – if he really wants to return to Italy – will have to spread his salary over a long contract.
However, a long-term deal is unlikely to be offered to the veteran, and a return could only be engineered if the Chelsea star takes a 50 per cent salary cut.
Napoli remain under strict financial constraints and the departures of Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly and Dries Mertens demonstrate how their economic accounts are prioritised over squad decisions.
Though a return to Napoli would be Jorginho’s first-choice – in the case of a Chelsea exit – there remain a number of other routes back to Italy for the midfielder.
Maurizio Sarri – who joined Chelsea on the same day as the Italian midfielder – has long been an admirer and would welcome the 31-year-old to Lazio.
Newcastle and Barcelona have been pressing the player’s agents for several months but the negotiation with Napoli has remained a priority.
On top of financial constraints, Jorginho’s return to Napoli may be obstructed by the performances of Stanislav Lobotka in the Italian side’s midfield.
The midfielder has renewed his contract until 2027 and has featured in nearly all of their domestic matches and has helped them rise to the summit of the Serie A table.
