Chelsea reject chance to sign Juventus star in exchange deal

Chelsea are understood to have turned down the chance to sign Miralem Pjanic in a straight-exchange deal involving Jorginho.

Pjanic has been with Juventus for the past four years but he is said to be eyeing a fresh challenge away from the Serie A holders this summer.

The Bosnian was fancied to join Barcelona in a swap deal involving Arthur last month but the move fell through with the latter reluctant to leave the Camp Nou.

According to The Express, the Bianconeri had recently proposed to offer Pjanic in a swap agreement for Jorginho but the Blues swiftly snubbed their advances.

Blues boss Frank Lampard is said to be pleased with the current midfield options at hand and he has no plans of offloading Jorginho or N'Golo Kante despite the speculation in the media.

Chelsea resume their Premier League season after the coronavirus shutdown with an away trip to Aston Villa on Sunday. They are presently a couple of points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United and will be aiming to extend the gap.