Manchester City board member Alberto Galassi confirmed talks for Jorginho, but Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis “knows the value of his players.”
Galassi has been on the Manchester City board since 2012 and is the chief executive of Piaggio Aero Industries. He was a guest on Sky Sport Italia this evening and asked specifically about Jorginho.
“He is one of the players we like, we never disguised that. However, De Laurentiis knows the value of his players and is very good at negotiations.
Manchester City board member Alberto Galassi confirmed talks for Jorginho, but Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis “knows the value of his players.”
Galassi has been on the Manchester City board since 2012 and is the chief executive of Piaggio Aero Industries. He was a guest on Sky Sport Italia this evening and asked specifically about Jorginho.
“He is one of the players we like, we never disguised that. However, De Laurentiis knows the value of his players and is very good at negotiations.
“We are a fair club, we do not go against the wishes of other clubs or try to approach players without first agreeing terms with their club.
“One thing is for sure, if there is a deal, it’ll be at suitable terms for both clubs. I personally believe if this is done, it’ll be a few hours before the transfer deadline, which in a World Cup year is always going to be unusual.”
The Italian-Brazilian midfielder has long been a target for Pep Guardiola, but President De Laurentiis confirmed at the weekend he had rejected an offer worth €45m plus €5m in bonuses from City.
It is reported Napoli are holding out for €60m and will sell the 26-year-old at that price.
That would be a massive profit, as the Partenopei paid €9.5m to take him from Hellas Verona in January 2014.
This season, Jorginho contributed four goals and four assists in 39 competitive games for Napoli, but above all again shattered Serie A records for completed passes.