Jorginho agent tries to drum up Arsenal and Real Madrid interest

With success comes big teams trying to poach your most successful players, and for Napoli that will be no exception. One of the biggest names in the squad who's going to be popping up in rumors over the next few months will be Jorginho, and the first major salvo has already landed in the form of his agent declaring that he'd be happy to talk to English Premier League giants Arsenal and La Liga titans Real Madrid if they wanted to approach his client.

It was in England that I was first asked about Jorginho but now everyone knows him and it’s obvious that a lot of teams are following him.

Real Madrid and Arsenal know Jorginho, if they came forward with an official offer we’d talk but at the moment all I can say is that Jorginho has a five-year contract with Napoli and wants to play for them in the Champions League next year.

-Source: Radio Crc, translation via La Gazzetta dello Sport

Arsenal have rumored to be interested in Jorginho in the past, but this is the first concrete public showing of potential mutual interest. It's also the first time that Real Madrid have been linked to the Napoli midfielder in any way, and in a way that one seems odd since Jorginho isn't really of the profile that they usually look for in a player, or a kind of midfielder that they need right now.

Still, links like these won't make Napoli fans rest easy. Should they go after Jorginho, they can pay fees that will make Aurelio De Laurentiis happy without breaking a sweat, and there's no obvious choice around to replace his crucial role in Napoli's midfield. Having a whole ton of euros in Napoli's pockets from a transfer fee would make life easier in the summer mercato, but having Jorginho in their midfield might be better.

Of course, the chance that this could be a negotiating tactic by Jorginho's agent for a new contract, even though he just re-signed through 2020 a few months ago. While he likely would have received a significant raise from the paltry wages he was on before, Jorginho is still likely paid below market value for his skills. If his agent can keep high-profile transfer rumors like this simmering, he can try to force Napoli back to the negotiating table for a new extension through 2021 with higher wages -- and maybe even a release clause should Arsenal and Madrid actually come calling.

In the short term, there's probably nothing real for Napoli fans to worry about -- but it's something to keep an eye on, because he's so important to the team.