Jorginho was 'open to negotiations' with Arsenal amid summer transfer interest

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho says he was "open to negotiations" with Arsenal as the Italian admitted that there was some interest from the Gunners this summer.

Jorginho originally moved to Chelsea in 2018, with the midfielder opting to join manager Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea amid interest from Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.

Guardiola's assistant at the time, Mikel Arteta, was reported to be an admirer of Jorginho this summer with Arsenal in the hunt for a midfielder.

Arsenal ended up paying Thomas Partey's release clause, bringing the former Atletico Madrid star to London, but Jorginho was also listed as a rumoured target.

And the midfielder says he would have been open to moving to the red side of London if the situation arose but, now that it hasn't, he's completely focused on shining for Frank Lampard at Chelsea. 

“I believe that every player is open to negotiations,” Jorginho told ESPN Brazil.

“So I believe there was something they talked about. And in the end it was decided that I remain here. Now my head is here and we’re going to do a great job with Chelsea, which I always wanted to do.”

Chelsea had a massive transfer window, spending £220 million ($280m) to sign the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell.

As a result, competition for places in the team is higher than ever before, with Jorginho saying that the Blues are still adjusting to all the new faces in the squad.

“They had a big market. The players who arrived have great potential and can certainly help this club a lot," he said.

“They’re already doing and will do much more. When there’s this high competition among the players, it turns out that the level of the team goes up, and when the level of the team goes up, the team ends up becoming better and even more competitive to reach the top.

“So I believe that the arrival of these great players only brings good things and will certainly help the group and the club.

“It’s normal that you need time. How long did Liverpool work to win something? So I believe that every change, every beginning of a project, we need to believe in the project for it to bear fruit and bring results. So it’s normal that you need this working time.”

Chelsea are set to face Manchester United on Saturday, having settled for a scoreless draw with Sevilla midweek in their Champions League opener