ALVISE CAGNAZZO: Jorginho would have to cut salary by 50 PER CENT to orchestrate Napoli move

Chelsea star Jorginho, at 31-years-old, must capitalise on his last few years playing at the highest level and remain at a top club - whether that's at Chelsea or abroad.

According to Sky Italy, Chelsea are willing to negotiate a contract extension with the midfielder and only a call from Napoli would make the player reconsider his options.

His current deal at Stamford Bridge is set to expire in June 2023 and his agent has already been evaluating options between a Chelsea renewal and a return to Italy.

If the negotiations were to come to a breakdown, the player would officially ask his entourage to try to find an agreement and return to Italian side Napoli.

The Euro 2020 winner can leave London in June 2023 when his deal expires and would like to end his career in Naples - the club where the Blues signed him from.

But, according to Republica, Jorginho's €6million (£5.3m) salary is too much for Aurelio De Laurentiis' Napoli and, if he really wants to return to Italy, he'll have to spread his salary over a very long contract.

With a long-term deal unlikely to be offered to the veteran, a homecoming for Jorginho could only be engineered if the Chelsea star takes a 50 per cent salary cut.

De Laurentiis has taken note of the situation and is aware of the difficulty of the potential transfer - despite Jorginho's openness to return to Italy.

Napoli remain under strict financial constraints and the recent departures of Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly and Dries Mertens demonstrate how their economic accounts are prioritised over squad decisions.

The Serie A side are yet to make contact with Jorginho, as they believe the player will offer himself to the club should his negotiations with Chelsea fall through.

Though a return to Napoli would be Jorginho's first-choice - in the case of a Chelsea exit - there remain a number of other routes back to Italy for the midfielder.

Maurizio Sarri - who joined Chelsea on the same day as the Italian midfielder - has long been an admirer and would welcome the 31-year-old to Lazio.

Newcastle and Barcelona have been pressing the player's agents for several months but the negotiation with Napoli has remained a priority.

According to Republica, the only hitch in a return to Napoli is the presence of Stanislav Lobotka in the middle of the pitch for the Italian side.

The midfielder has renewed his contract until 2027 and is much more suitable than Jorginho to play a leading role in Napoli's long-term sporting project.