Agent Reveals How Chelsea Managed to Sign Jorginho When Man City Deal Looked Certain

Chelsea were able to snatch highly rated midfielder Jorginho from under the nose of Manchester City during the summer because the Premier League champions failed to strike a deal with Napoli despite already agreeing the move with the player, his agent has revealed.

For weeks, Jorginho had looked certain to be Pep Guardiola's first signing of the summer. But difficult negotiations saw Chelsea steal in as soon as Maurizio Sarri was appointed manager.

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The arrival at Stamford Bridge of former Napoli boss Sarri was no doubt a help for Chelsea, but for all intents and purposes the player's proposed transfer to City had already been 'done'.

"[City] was all done with Jorginho. There was an agreement [with the player], but there was no agreement between the clubs. All parties have to agree, and one did not," agent Joao Santos has now explained on Italian radio, via Football Italia.

"Then Chelsea asked what the situation was after Sarri arrived and Jorginho went to London.

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"He's really enjoying it at Chelsea, the team is on a roll and has won four matches out of four. It's a great start. Going to Chelsea was a unique opportunity, the career of a player is very short and now we hope for the best."

Jorginho himself spoke about his fledgling Chelsea earlier this week, highlighting the key differences between playing in Italy and playing in England.

"There's a difference in tempo and physicality between English and Italian football. However, you can't not miss a magnificent place such as Napoli," the 26-year-old commented.

"To understand the difference with the infrastructure in England you have to experience it. At Cobham, we have 38 pitches. Enough said."

But while he appears happy at Chelsea for now, Brazilian-born Jorginho also expressed a desire to return to play in his adopted Italy at some point in the future: "Serie A will always be one of the best leagues in the world. I hope to go back one day."