Arsenal have agreed a £12million deal for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.
The 31-year-old is on his way to London Colney for a medical as the Gunners close in on their third January signing. He is expected to sign a contract until 2024 with an option of a further year. The deal is understood to be an initial £10million with £2million in add-ons.
Jorginho is set to follow Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior through the doors at the Emirates Stadium this month as Mikel Arteta bolsters his midfield department following injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny. With Albert Sambi Lokonga struggling to make an impact and a move for Moises Caicedo proving difficult - and now all but aborted - the Spaniard and sporting director Edu have acted quickly.
After Brighton rejected a £70million offer for Caicedo and insisted that he's not for sale at any price today, the Gunners turned to Jorginho, a mainstay in the Chelsea side since his move from Napoli in 2018.
Chelsea were hesitant to sell the Italy international to their London rivals and demanded a substantial fee from the Gunners to secure the services of the Euro 2020 winner, despite him having only six months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.
The move will take Arsenal's winter spending towards the £60m mark after Trossard joined for £27m from Brighton and Kiwior arrived in a deal worth around £20m from Italian side Spezia.
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Arteta is understood to be a fan of Jorginho and himself has history with the player, having tried to sign him while the Spaniard was assistant manager to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The 40-year-old was a key factor in the deal.
In his 213 appearances for Chelsea, he has helped them to the Europa League and Champions League titles and has gained a plethora of experience winning major trophies. Jorginho is also a Euro 2020 champion with Italy and played a major part to that success.
The Gunners are in the midst of a Premier League title race and may need a player of Jorginho's quality to get them over the line. They sit five points above Manchester City at the top of the table but still have to play Pep Guardiola's side twice between now and May.
Meanwhile, for Chelsea, the move will free up space in their squad for Benfica star Enzo Fernandez. The Blues are hoping to seal an 11th-hour move for Fernandez, and are ready to meet his £105million release clause.
