Arsenal are reportedly close to reaching a contract agreement with Jorginho.
That’s according to a recent report from talkSPORT, who claims the Gunners are keen to extend the Italian midfielder’s deal by one more year.
Signing on Deadline Day during the January transfer window in a deal worth £12 million (Sky Sports), Jorginho, 32, agreed to an 18-month contract with Arsenal retaining the option to trigger another 12 months — something the club are now expected to do.
And should everything be finalised, seeing the 32-year-old commit at least one more season to the Gunners will be a huge boost to Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal transfer news: Gunners to trigger Jorginho contract extension
Blessed with experience and a winning mentality, Jorginho has proved to be a vital addition since he joined from rivals Chelsea — and that has been shown this season with the veteran starting in six Champions League games.
And while there may have been speculation the 32-year-old could return to Italy, it seems more likely he’ll remain in the Premier League for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign before moving on for one more challenge before inevitably hanging up his boots.
Either way, the Italian has been a great servant, and one that, should the Gunners lift this season’s title, would go down in the club’s history books.
Keeping Smith Rowe would have been better than Jorginho. However, the club should not make a mistake of selling the trio of Nketiah, Nelson and Smith Rowe as Mourinho sold Salah and De Bruyne in his Chelsea days. Arteta won all the four games he started Smith Rowe this season. Nketiah is the current England U21 record goal scorer and the only player to have scored hat trick under Arteta. If you place Martinelli on the left of attack; Nketiah as out central striker; Smith directly behind him and Zinchenko to attack from left full back where Martinelli always fall back to protect him defensively, then Arsenal is always unplayable under such formation. But Arteta reluctantly refused to give it another trial after seeing how effective it worked against Sheffield United.
If he is keeping Jorginho, then Smith Rowe has to be loaned to Aston Villa with no option to buy.