Jorginho ‘is demanding £150,000-a-week to stay at Chelsea’ with his contract expiring next summer

Chelsea’s contract talks with midfielder Jorginho have reportedly stalled – with the Italian star said to be seeking a pay increase to take his salary to £150,000 a week.

Jorginho is one of three core Chelsea players whose deals are set to expire next summer, along with fellow midfielder N’Golo Kante and veteran centre-back Thiago Silva. 

And while the Blues have opened negotiations over retaining the 30-year-old beyond the current season, Jorginho is yet to strike an agreement over his contract demands, according to the Evening Standard.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho is reportedly demanding £150,000 a week to stay at the club

The Italian and team-mate N’Golo Kante are two players whose deal expire next summer

Jorginho is believed to be on around £120,000 a week at Stamford Bridge, and the reported payrise request would see him draw level with the amount earned by his team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta.

The player would prefer to remain in west London, the report adds, though he wants to be seen as an important member of the squad under Graham Potter. 

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly will be overseeing talks with Jorginho and is looking to keep a settled squad to allow his new boss to challenge for top honours. 

The same report about Jorginho also claims Kante’s discussions have stalled too.

Jorginho is said to be prioritising a new deal with Chelsea – but he’s been linked to Barcelona

The French midfielder is said to be seeking a longer deal than the two-year contract offered to him by the Blues. 

Jorginho’s agent has already spoken out about his future, admitting his client is ‘prioritising’ a new deal with Chelsea – but hinted that he had also spoken to Barcelona about a possible move.

‘I work in football, I have been to Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Valencia, but also in other parts such as Lyon,’ Santos told TuttoMercatoWeb when asked about his trip to Spain. 

Pressed if he spoke to Barcelona about Jorginho, Santos said: ‘I’m Jorginho’s agent, I may have talked about him but also about others. 

The 30-year-old wants to be seen as a key player under new boss Graham Potter (L)

‘We prioritise Chelsea and we are moving towards it. Another priority for Jorginho is to do well with the national team.’

Jorginho – who is vice captain at Chelsea – has been incredibly successful since joining the club from Napoli in 2018. 

He has won the Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup and European Super Cup during his four years at Stamford Bridge – and also won Euro 2020 with Italy to add to his collection of accolades.