Newcastle could snare Chelsea stalwart on the cheap, with fresh contract far from concrete

Newcastle United are reportedly keen on Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, as they are interested in his quality if they can negotiate a cheap deal.

Jorginho is one of Chelsea’s longest-serving players. He has been a consistent performer for the Stamford Bridge outfit since joining from Napoli in 2018.

The Italian has made 208 appearances for the club, in which he has scored 29 times. He has enjoyed success with Chelsea – the 2020/21 Champions League title his highest honour.

Now 31 years old, he remains a fixture of the Blues side. He has played every single Champions League tie this campaign, and missed just one Premier League game.

With his contract running down, though, whether or not he will remain a Chelsea player beyond this season is up in the air.

Speculation has been rife over whether he will choose to depart for another club, or stay put.

He has been touted with a move to Barcelona. Reports even suggested that his agent had been spotted in the Spanish city, pointing to a move to the La Liga side.

Jorginho himself recently made an admission regarding his contract situation. On whether he wanted to remain, he said “of course”, however, he admitted “we’ll see”, which has left things up in the air regarding a transfer.

Jorginho on Newcastle radar amid Chelsea uncertainty

The Daily Mail offers an explanation on the midfielder’s contract situation. Their report claims that the Blues are ‘reluctant to negotiate’ on a new deal.

If that is the case, a door would be opened for a move. With that being said, Barcelona would seem to be top of the pile, given their lengthy period of interest.

However, Newcastle are also keen on snaring Jorginho, with the report stating the contract situation has ‘alerted’ the club.

Insiders apparently see the ‘rationale behind bringing in a player of experience in a deep-lying role’. Bruno Guimaraes operates in a similar role, but his goals output suggests he could be utilised anywhere in the midfield.

Sean Longstaff has played in each Premier League game for the Magpies this season. The 25-year-old has started 12 out of those 16 games.

While he has performed well, if given the opportunity to sign one of the Premier League’s best to replace him, Newcastle would no doubt snatch at it.

Cheap fee eyed by Newcastle

The report also suggests Newcastle would prefer the transfer if ‘a relatively minimal fee’ could be agreed.

Chelsea might go for that if they are unable to come to an agreement with Jorginho over his contract. That would at least allow them to receive a fee for the stalwart.

Whether the midfielder would want to move to St James’ Park is another question, though. If given the decision between Barcelona and Newcastle, no matter how well the latter are doing at the moment, not many would be likely to choose them.

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