As the race to buy Chelsea continues, the Blues could face competition to keep hold of one of their star men.

Jorginho’s agent Joao Santos caused a stir recently by revealing it is the Italy midfielder’s "dream" to return to Serie A. 

And with the Euro 2020 winner’s contract set to expire in June 2023, should Chelsea look to cash in this summer?

Ahead of this afternoon’s meeting with Brentford at Stamford Bridge, we take a closer look at the situation.

The metronome

A tempo-setter supreme, Jorginho has become one of Chelsea’s most important players since signing from Napoli in 2018. 

His role is not the game’s most spectacular and it is not easily represented in statistical terms. 

As a result, Jorginho’s contribution often goes unappreciated. 

But he is crucial to Tuchel’s system functioning at its most effective — a metronomic and combative presence in front of the defence. 

Jorginho ranks fifth among all Chelsea players for passes attempted (70.54) and completed (62.51) per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season and sixth for passes into the final third — both attempted (19.7) and completed (15.52). 

If he plays well, the Blues generally do.

Breaking it up

When you think about Chelsea breaking up play, N’Golo Kante’s name springs to mind. The Frenchman is one of the game’s great disruptors.

But Jorginho, 30, has proven almost equally important in that respect, not least this season. 

For instance, he gains possession in the middle third 5.14 times per 90 — more than any of his team-mates. 

Assessing a team’s performances with and without a player is by no means conclusive. 

But it is striking that since the start of last season, Chelsea have scored almost half as many goals per game without Jorginho (1.1) as they have with him (1.9). 

As such, it comes as no surprise their win percentage drops from 59.6% to 35.7%.

Mr Reliable

When it comes to scoring from 12 yards, there are few better — or more distinctive — than Jorginho.

With a hop, skip and jump, he has tucked away 17 of his 19 Premier League penalties — including 10 in 2021, a competition record for a calendar year. 

And he discussed his success from the spot in an interview with Chelsea’s website last December. 

He said: "People watching are probably more nervous than me when I take a penalty, especially my friends and family. 

"Sometimes you know the pressure is higher than other times, but I try to not put that pressure on myself or feel that pressure. I try to breathe, clear my mind and keep calm." 

Whatever he does, it works, and Chelsea will be hard pushed to find a more reliable penalty taker if they lose their hugely influential No5.

Playing hardball

Crucial though he is to the Chelsea cause, Jorginho is not irreplaceable. 

Few players are — but shipping him out would leave the Blues needing to do business they could easily avoid. 

According to Santos, Jorginho could be a target for Juventus, Roma, AC Milan, Inter Milan and former club Napoli. 

But there is not much value in doing a deal for a player out of contract in just over a year’s time anyway.

The bigger picture

Complicating matters for Chelsea is the number of players out of contract in the next two summers. 

Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen can leave Stamford Bridge for nothing as of June 30 and skipper Cesar Azpilicueta may still follow them, despite an automatic one-year extension being triggered. 

It is no better next year, with Jorginho, Kante, Marcos Alonso and Thiago Silva all due to be free agents unless new deals are agreed.

Replacing as many as six first-team regulars in such a short period of time would be nigh-on impossible.

Tying Jorginho down to an extended contract before he gains the upper hand is of paramount importance. 

It is all change at Chelsea these days — but Jorginho does not have to be part of it.