Chelsea and Juventus may reportedly discuss a swap deal involving Jorginho and Merih Demiral over the coming weeks.
The two European giants are currently preoccupied by other deals, Chelsea involved in a saga regarding Romelu Lukaku and Juventus looking to get the free transfer of Paul Pogba over the line.
However, at some point, more focus will be placed on making changes in other areas of the pitch, negotiating proposals which may make sense of all involved.
According to Calciomercatoweb, that could prove to be the case when it comes to making final decisions on the futures of Jorginho and Demiral.
From the perspective of Jorginho, just one year is remaining on his contract at a time when a number of Serie A clubs are circling to offer him a return to his homeland.
© Reuters
As for Demiral, he has recently returned to parent club Juventus after spending a season on loan at Atalanta BC, where he made 40 appearances in Italy's top flight and Europe.
Despite establishing himself as a first-team regular at the Gewiss Stadium, the report claims that the centre-back does not feature in the plans of Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri.
That has seemingly created a scenario where both teams could benefit from a straight swap deal, rather than attempting to secure their respective asking prices in negotiations with other clubs.
Although Jorginho has enjoyed a successful period at Stamford Bridge and remains a regular under Thomas Tuchel, the 30-year-old no longer features in every game and will face stiffer competition in the form of Conor Gallagher should he stay at the club.
Furthermore, Chelsea may have little intention in offering Jorginho a new contract when it has been widely claimed that the player eventually wants another stint in Serie A.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, the West Londoners are also in the market for new centre-backs with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen having departed on free transfers.
Tuchel is said to have a significant transfer budget at his disposal, but in excess of £50m of that warchest could be spent on signing priority target Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
To help balance the books, bringing in a 24-year-old Demiral for Jorginho, and already having Gallagher as a replacement, theoretically makes sense for all concerned.
The report adds that the respective players are valued at similar prices by their clubs, seemingly paving the way for an exchange if all parties can agree terms.
Darren Plant
