Jorginho was 'convinced to join' Man City before Chelsea move

The former Napoli man almost joined Pep Guardiola’s squad but changed his mind when a chance to work again under Maurizio Sarri came up.

Jorginho was “convinced to join” Manchester City before moving to Chelsea from Napoli in 2018, reveals the player’s agent.

Jorginho signed a five-year contract with Chelsea after the London side splashed a reported £50 million (€58.2m) to secure his services from Napoli. He quickly became an integral part of the team, making 54 appearances in his debut season at the club.

The midfielder went out of favor during Frank Lampard’s time in charge but once again became a prominent member of the team after Thomas Tuchel’s appointment.

Jorginho recently lifted the Champions League trophy, but had things back in 2018 played out differently, he would’ve been in the team that returned empty-handed from Porto.

Hated, doubted, criticised by the media/fans & dropped by Lampard but yet he never gave up & consistently worked hard to prove his worth to the team under Tuchel. No one deserved to win the UCL more than Jorginho did. 💙⭐️ pic.twitter.com/9orQ0x5sCb
— B (@CFCBry_) May 31, 2021

“It was Napoli’s choice,” agent Joao Santos told Football Italia. “They were negotiating with Manchester City, but then they began talks with Chelsea, and that’s where we ended up.

“We have nothing against Manchester City. Playing at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola would have been satisfying, but that’s how transfers work.

“Sometimes things can change very quickly. We respect Guardiola, Manchester City and their director Tixi [Begiristain].

“There was no reason to [convince him]. Jorginho was convinced to join City, but in the end, the situation changed, so we moved to Chelsea, a great club.

“He went there with Maurizio Sarri. He knew it would have been a unique experience in a top club.”