Arsenal star ‘tells club he wants to leave’ in shock twist

The Gunners could lose a key man

August 05, 2023 at 11:41 am GMT+1

Arsenal star Jorginho has reportedly told the club that he wants out this summer, despite suggesting that he was very happy in north London just weeks ago.

The Italian midfielder joined the club in January from London rivals Chelsea in a deal worth £12m and appeared 16 times in the second half of the season, though he could not prevent the Gunners falling off top spot in the Premier League late on in the campaign and eventually coming second.

Under contract for another 12 months, he is viewed as a stop-gap signing and there had been speculation that a return to Italy could be on the cards this summer.

Now, a new report has claimed that Turkish giants Fenerbahçe have also entered the race for his signature, and that Jorginho has ‘informed the club that he wanted to leave the team this summer’.

The Italian has been a substitute in all but one of Arsenal’s pre-season games, with the arrival of Declan Rice seemingly pushing the midfielder further down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.

However, such a move would go against what he himself revealed just last month when quizzed on similar exit rumours.

“I’m very happy to stay at Arsenal to be honest. Those rumours, I’m not sure who was behind it, to be honest, but nothing at the moment has happened to me. I’m quite happy where I am”, he explained in July.

Arsenal look set to retain the veteran for the upcoming campaign, which begins on Sunday with their community shield tie against Manchester City before a home tie against Nottingham Forest kicks off their Premier League season.

They had also flirted with the idea of selling Thomas Partey this summer, but no suitable bids arrived and the Ghanaian is now also expected to stay in north London.