Former Champions League winner ‘prime target’ for Newcastle United as brother of January target is linked

Newcastle United have been linked with a surprise move for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho as doubt remains over his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.

The Italy international has become a key figure with the Blues since moving to West London from Napoli in a £7m in July 2018. His first season with the club saw him play a lead role in their Europa League win and that was followed up by a Champions League Final win agaisnt Manchester City in 2021. UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup wins added to his list of acheivements and he has also been a beaten finalist in the FA Cup on three occasions, as well as losing in two EFL Cup finals.

However, there is doubt over whether his time with Chelsea will extend beyond the end of the season with his current contract set to come to a close in the summer. Jorginho was asked about staying with the club in a recent interview with talkSPORT and admitted his focus was on trying to help them to further success this season. He replied: “Of course I do (want to stay), I love Chelsea. But this is a thing I’m not going to think about now. I need to think about winning games. Otherwise it’s a problem. I’ll focus game by game and then we’ll see what’s going to happen. But my mind is on Chelsea now and trying to win as many games as possible.”

The midfielder will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of the Premier League from January before making a free transfer switch at the end of the season. But the Daily Mail have reported Newcastle will look to complete a deal for the 31-year-old during the January transfer window and have made him a ‘prime target’.

Magpies linked with brother of reported target

Newcastle’s desire to sign Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram has been widely reported over the last two months as the France star enters the final six months of his current deal with the Bundesliga club.

However, the Magpies have now been linked with his brother Kephren as they look to add a midfielder to their squad. The 21-year-old is currently shining with Ligue 1 club Nice as they continue their recovery from a dismal start to the season and his form has reportedly captured the interest of United, according to the Daily Mail.