CITY FACE JORGINHO BIDDING WAR
Napoli reject £39m bid and hope Chelsea enter fray for their Italian star... but Neymar reveals Pep dream
MANCHESTER CITY have had a £39million move for Jorginho rejected by Napoli, who hope Chelsea join in and spark a bidding war for the Italy midfielder. City have made him a top target and want the 26-year-old signed before the World Cup starts.
But Napoli value him at €60million – or £52m.
Former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri is expected to take charge at Stamford Bridge and the Serie A side believe he will want to take Jorginho with him.
City remain confident of getting their man, who would take some of the load off Fernandinho’s shoulders.
The Blues have been working on a deal for months for the former Verona player, who scored against them in last season’s Champions League.
They are also keen on Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez to further strengthen Pep Guardiola’s alreadyimpressive squad.
Neymar has revealed how he would like to work with Guardiola, but that is unlikely to prompt a move by City for his services.
The Brazil striker arrived at Barcelona in 2013, a season after Guardiola left the Nou Camp to take a sabbatical. Neymar, now at Paris Saint-Germain, hopes they can link up.
The 26-year-old is understood to be unsettled in France less than 12 months after his worldrecord £198m transfer from Barca.
He told ESPN Brazil: “I’ve always wanted to work with Guardiola.
“He’s different. I arrived in Barcelona a year after he left. I really want to work with him.”
City are unlikely to grant him his wish. They have little appetite to fork out the hundreds of millions it would need to prise him away from PSG.
Neymar’s buy-out clause does not kick in until next summer and PSG would be able to dictate terms for a player with four years left on a deal worth in excess of £600,000 a week.
Real Madrid are a morelikely destination for Neymar, who hopes to recover from an ankle injury in time for the World Cup. The newly-crowned Champions League winners want him as their new Galactico.
Gareth Bale wants out of the Bernabeu because he is frustrated at sitting on the bench and his sale – Manchester United are very keen – would help finance a bid for Neymar.