Chelsea's Jorginho Now A Deadline Day Option For Arsenal Amids Caicedo Third Offer.

Arsenal are considering a bid for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho before the January transfer window shuts tomorrow.

Arsenal have spent the best part of their week trying to persuade Brighton to part ways with Moises Caicedo, but the Seagulls have remained reluctant to allow the midfielder leave this month.

The Gunners are scarce on the cover of a first choice holding midfield options following the injuries on Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny, which has made manager Mikel Arteta to switch attention to Chelsea’s Jorginho in his search for a new central midfielder.

Arsenal have been a long time admirers of the iconic midfielder, with their first attempt to signing him came nearly a decade ago, when he was not yet known at Hellas Verona. 

Jorginho gained their attention after Hellas achieved promotion from Serie B during the 2012/13 campaign, and continued his good form into Serie A, scoring seven league goals from midfield during the first half of the 2013/14 season, which ignited the interest of the then Gunners boss Arsene Wenger to bringing the 21-year-old to the Emirates, but things didn't go as planned.

There were even rumours of a failed Arsenal bid in July 2015, believed to be in the region of £15m.

The Italian star had joined Napoli in January 2014, and quickly made a name for himself with the Italian giants winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana within a year of his transfer.

Manchester City were expected to complete a deal for Jorginho, but Pep Guardiola's side pulled out of the race late on, which made Chelsea took advantage by signing the 26-year-old on July 2018 for a reported £50m transfer fee plus £7m in add-ons.

Jorginho has enjoyed plenty of success at Stamford Bridge, playing more than 200 games for the Blues and won four trophies - including the Champions League and Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup. He has also featured in three FA Cup finals and two Carabao/EFL Cup finals.

Highly considered as one of the best central midfielders of his generation, Jorginho has also tasted success with Italy, helping them win Euro 2020, and his success at club and international levels saw him named as the UEFA Men's Player of the Year in 2021.

According to a report from The Athletic, Arsenal have identified 31-year-old Jorginho as an option to strengthen in the midfield position, and a deal could be completed ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline

This comes as the North London club has spent the whole of Monday deliberating whether to send in a third offer for Brighton midfielder, Moises Caicedo to £75m. The Ecuador international is also a target for Chelsea.

The Blues are currently looking to bring in another midfielder before the window closes, too. They are reported to have increased their bid for Benfica star Enzo Fernandez to £105 million, having seen previous efforts to get him turned down by the Portuguese side. 

If they fail to get Enzo, they could try to get Caicedo, and Graham Potter's team could free up room for the Argentine by offloading Jorginho this month, with Conor Gallagher also linked with an exit.

Normally, Chelsea would be unwilling to sell a player to Arsenal because of their rivalry - but there is not much of a battle between the two clubs this season. The Blues are 10th in the table and will not be competing with Mikel Arteta's men for the league title.

They are even set to lose Jorginho for free this summer when his contract expires, so they could opt to let him leave for a fee before the end of the transfer ends on Tuesday, as they continue rebuilding a new squad made up of young, promising talent.

The signing of Jorginho, may not be so much of a good news to Gunners fans, considering his age, as they want  a younger, more promising player such as 21-year-old Caicedo, but a more experienced Jorginho could be exactly what Arsenal need to see them through the next four months as they try to win the Premier League this season.

They are currently five points ahead of Guardiola's defending champions side with a game in hand.

Arsenal will hope to have a new midfielder in place by the time they face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, February 4. The day before that game, the Blues will face Fulham at Stamford Bridge.