Manchester City’s hopes of landing Napoli star midfielder Jorginho took a blow with the Serie A outfit rejecting the bid, according to Goal.
The news comes after BBC Sport reported this week that City could be on the verge of a mega double swoop for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez at £60m and the Napoli midfielder at £42m by the end of next week.
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However, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has moved to reject a bid from the Premier League champions and it seems he is determined to keep his midfield star.
De Laurentiis told Corriere dello Sport, as reported by Goal: “Jorginho? I have refused an offer from Man City worth €45m plus €5m in bonuses.”
Jorginho arrived at Napoli in January of 2014, for €10m, from Hellas Verona, and his impressive performances in Serie A have seen him linked with some of Europe’s top clubs, including Manchester City and Manchester Utd, according to another report from Goal.
Jorginho is one of the best distributors in Europe and is a deep-lying playing, and the Brazil-born Italy international has scored two goals in Serie A this season, creating 44 chances with four assists.
According to Squawka, he has completed 2489 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 89% – and the midfield star could be an ideal as a long-term replacement for ageing City star Fernandinho.