Jorginho's agent says he'll LEAVE if sanctions prevent Chelsea from extend deals

Jorginho's agent Joao Santos has admitted the midfielder could look to leave Chelsea if they are unable to renew his deal this summer.

The club are currently not allowed to buy or sell any player, nor extend the deals of any of the current members of Thomas Tuchel's squad following the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich by the UK government.

Italy midfielder Jorginho, 30, sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in the summer of 2023, and his agent confirmed his 'priority' is to extend his deal in west London.

However, Santos also added a number of teams are interested in his client's services, including Serie A giants Juventus, which could come into play if no interested party is able to buy the club.

'I haven't talked to Juve, but I know of their interest in Jorginho,' Santos told Italian outlet Calciomercato.

'We have a contract with Chelsea until 2023 and it is a particular moment for the club, where there are no negotiations, also because the market is blocked both in entry and in exit.

'If the situation unfolds, the priority will be to deal with the renewal.

'Should Chelsea fail to renew their contract, then we will listen to all the teams involved. '

Jorginho has been linked with a return to Italy on numerous occasions over the course of the past 12 months, having made 179 appearances for the Blues since signing in a £50million deal from Napoli in 2018.

But the most pressing matter regarding his future is whether Chelsea can lift the current sanctions imposed on them by finding and then confirming a new owner to replace Abramovich, who was sanctioned amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Sportsmail revealed on Thursday night the bidding window for Chelsea will close at 9pm on Friday with a shortlist of offers set to be finalised by the start of next week.

Merchant bank the Raine Group, who are advising Chelsea with the sale, will call time on the bidding period at 5pm US time and start the process of whittling down the offers to a shortlist. Sources claim the shortlist will feature a maximum of four bids.

The urgency for a quick sale given the financial pressures Chelsea have found themselves since Abramovich's sanctioning last week has been stressed to all parties involved in the process.

A new bidder emerged on Thursday after London investment firm Aethel Partners, headed by co-founder Ricardo Silva, claimed to have submitted an offer in-excess of £2billion with a pledge of pumping £50m straight into the club to safeguard Chelsea’s immediate future.