Chelsea report: Jorginho contract talks stall as Italian requests pay rise
Chelsea's midfield metronome is out of contract next summer.
Chelsea and Jorginho are yet to reach an agreement over a contract extension after the Italy international reportedly demanded a pay rise.
The playmaker is in the final year of his deal at Stamford Bridge and will therefore be able to agree a pre-contract with a new club from January.
His Blues future remains uncertain after initial talks with the club failed to make progress, the Evening Standard reports.
Jorginho currently earns around £120,000 per week and Chelsea are offering a similar salary, but the 30-year-old wants £150,000 per week.
The Italian wants to stay in west London, but he has been linked with Barcelona as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets.
The Brazil-born midfielder has made 201 Blues appearances since joining from Napoli in 2018.
He continues to be a regular this season, making 13 appearances and scoring two goals in all competitions under Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
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Jorginho’s midfield partner N’Golo Kante is also out of contract next summer and yet to agree an extension.
The Frenchman, who was ruled out of the World Cup with injury this week, was offered a new two-year deal with the option of a third, but wants a longer-term offer.
More Chelsea stories
Chelsea are said to have made long-term target Declan Rice their top transfer target for 2023.
Meanwhile, it's been reported that the Blues at the front of the queue to sign AC Milan and Portugal forward Rafael Leao and that they've already made an acceptable offer to RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku.
In other news, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has described how he's found it "strange" not to be playing under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea – after the German was sacked last month.
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.