Manchester United have been linked with the signing of a number of central midfielders this month since the close of the January transfer window.
With many expecting Marouane Fellaini to leave Old Trafford when his contract expires at the end of this season and with Michael Carrick expected to retire in the summer, Jose Mourinho would be left short of players in this position without any acquisitions.
The boss has played a 4-3-3 formation a few times since signing Alexis Sanchez last month but the only other options we currently have in the middle of the park are Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and Scott McTominay.
According to a report in the Express today we are leading the race ahead of Premier League rivals Chelsea to sign Italian international Jorginho.
The 26-year-old has developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in Serie A since signing for Napoli from Hellas Verona in 2014 and has gone on to play for the Italian national team.
Jorginho has been linked to us in the past, with the Express linking us with a move for the Napoli midfielder only last month. However, with Maurizio Sarri’s side having a one-point lead over Juventus at the top of Serie A they were not in a position to consider selling their first team players mid-season.
The latest report from the Express cites BetStars as saying that we have been made 3/1 favourites with the bookmakers to land the central midfielder, and Chelsea next in line with odds of 7/1.
BetStars director of trading, Ian Marmion, said:
“Napoli’s Jorginho could be on his way to Manchester United after his agent claimed the Serie A leaders may look to sell the midfielder in the summer.
“United are in pole position to sign Jorginho and are currently priced as the clear 3/1 favourites to bring the Italian to Old Trafford in the summer as a replacement for Michael Carrick.
“Also in the hunt for the Italian midfielder are Chelsea (7/1) and Liverpool (8/1).”
Given that we will be in the market for the a central midfielder or two over the summer, being strongly linked with a move for Jorginho is excellent news because I believe he’s one of the top players in this position outside of the Premier League.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming months but three points over Chelsea on Sunday may go some way towards luring Jorginho to choose Old Trafford over Stamford Bridge by finishing above them in the Premier League, if it comes down to a race between the two of us.
