Jorginho Completes Chelsea Move from Napoli for £50M Fee

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Chelsea completed the signing of Napoli midfielder Jorginho on a five-year deal on Saturday.

The Blues confirmed the signing via Twitter:

In a statement on Chelsea's website, Jorginho said: "I am absolutely ecstatic to be here at Chelsea. It is not easy to become part of such a big team, so I am very, very happy. I am excited to play in such an intense league, for a team that gives everything to play and win."

The Italy international will join up with former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri, who was announced as Antonio Conte's successor as Chelsea manager earlier in the day. Goal UK reported the Blues paid £50 million for the player. 

Jorginho, 26, was previously heavily linked to Manchester City, with Luke Edwards in the Telegraph reporting the club was close to signing the midfielder as recently as July 5.

It is something of a coup, then, that Chelsea have managed to snap him up ahead of the runaway 2017-18 Premier League champions.

Born in Brazil, Jorginho proved over the past three seasons at Napoli under Sarri that he is one of the best midfielders in Europe.

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His reading of the game is masterful, while his passing statistics are unrivalled, as Squawka highlighted:

Chelsea have plenty of options in the middle of the park, but only N'Golo Kante could be described as consistent.

Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko have disappointed since joining the club last summer, while the 31-year-old Cesc Fabregas is past his best.

Jorginho will provide Chelsea with a new dimension in the engine room and should form a formidable partnership with the similarly impressive Kante.