Italian outlet Rai Sport are the latest publication to insist that Premier League giants Manchester United are considering a move for Napoli midfielder Jorginho.
Metronome
Jorginho, a Brazilian-born Italian international, joined Napoli from Hellas Verona for 9.5 million Euro in 2014, since going on to develop into one of the finest midfielders in Serie A.
In an incredible statistic, it was revealed last summer that the 26-year-old made more passes per game than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues last season (as per Football-Italia.net).
Sitting in his deep-lying midfield berth, the Verona youth product has flourished behind Napoli’s fearsome attacking quartet of Marek Hamsik, Jose Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, and has started 21 of his side’s 24 Serie A fixtures to this point in the campaign.
PL links
Despite his near-indispensable presence in Maurizio Sarri’s Partneopei squad, though, Jorginho has often been linked with a departure from the San Paolo over recent seasons, with Arsenal having long been touted as a potential destination.
However, as per a number of reports emanating from Italy over recent months, it is in fact Manchester United who look to have jumped to the front of the queue for Jorginho, having held talks with the representatives of the midfielder regarding a summer switch to the club.
The Red Devils are known to be on the lookout for reinforcements in the middle of the park, with Ander Herrera struggling for form and Michael Carrick set to retire at the end of the season.
Manchester battle?
And, as per the aforementioned update from Rai Sport this afternoon, it was Jorginho’s performances during Napoli’s Champions league group stages matchups with Manchester City which caught the eye of United, with Jose Mourinho and co. having been keeping tabs on him since.
However, Rai also claim that Manchester City could rival the Red Devils for Jorginho’s signature in the summer, with Pep Guardiola keen to add another deep-lying creative influence to his Citizens’ squad.