AC Milan join Barcelona in the pursuit of Jorginho

AC Milan have joined Barcelona in the race for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, reports Spanish outlet Sport.

The Italian midfielder faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, with his contract expiring in the summer of 2023.

The Catalan giants were seemingly leading the race for the Euro 2020 winner, but Rossoneri are now looking to throw a spanner in the works.

Barca have identified Jorginho as the successor to Sergio Busquets, who is expected to leave Camp Nou when his contract expires next summer.

The Blaugrana have adopted the strategy of signing free agents in recent years due to their financial crisis, and they are looking to continue it with Jorginho.

The Catalans believe the Italian deep-lying playmaker will be a great addition, given his experience and success with the Blues in the Champions League.

Reports also surfaced that Jorginho’s agent Jorge Santos had met with Barca directors to discuss a potential deal, but he has repeatedly denied them.

Santos recently stated that there hasn’t been talks with any clubs, and the priority is to renew the contract with Chelsea.

Jorginho’s agent told Relevo (h/t Fabrizio Romano): “I’ve never met with Barça director Mateu Alemany. We want to extend the contract with Chelsea, it’s our priority”.

“We only had conversations about Jorginho with Chelsea — no other clubs.”

Despite having talented midfielders like Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Yasin Adli, Tommaso Pobega and Rade Krunic, Milan are looking to sign a marquee player like Jorginho to continue their dominance in Serie A and search for more success in the Champions League.