Manchester City’s chances of signing Jorginho were given a huge boost as the midfielder was left out of Napoli’s pre-season training camp.
The Italian is rumoured to be close to completing a £46million switch to the Premier League champions and this breakthrough is the biggest hint yet of the deal being on the brink.
Jorginho, 26, was nowhere to be seen as the Italian side, who finished second in Serie A last season, announced their 25-man squad.
It was suggested that Jorginho was being rested after his efforts on international duty at the back end of the 2017/18 season, but fellow Azzurri men Lorenzo Insigne and Simone Verdi did make the squad.
Napoli will head north to Dinamo Folgarida as they gear up for the 2018/19 under new boss Carlo Ancelotti, who replaced Maurizio Sarri as head coach in May.
Sarri’s expected switch to Stamford Bridge could be completed in the coming weeks, although Chelsea will have to pay Antonio Conte £9.5m in compensation first to release him from his contract, while Napoli are still yet to pay Sarri’s £4.5m severance package.
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Jorginho’s £46m move is on the brink of completion after a summer-long chase by City, who remain short of Napoli’s £55m valuation but are reportedly offering significant bonus payments as part of the deal.
Personal terms were agreed long ago with the player not at the World Cup and the Italian, who was born in Brazil, looks to be on his way to the Etihad soon.
In June his agent Joao Santos said: “We have a verbal agreement with Manchester City, we are waiting for Napoli and the English to find an agreement.”
He has made 160 appearances for Napoli since joining in 2014, scoring six times, while also receiving eight caps for Italy since his national team debut in 2016.
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