Arsenal would love to keep Jorginho, but it’s likely they’ll let one of their first-team midfielders leave this summer, according to David Ornstein.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Jorginho of Arsenal applauds the fans after the team's victory in the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on February 24, 2024. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Jorginho of Arsenal applauds the fans after the team’s victory in the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on February 24, 2024. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Writing in his Q&A for The Athletic this week, David Ornstein reported that he is sure Arsenal would love to keep Jorginho this summer, but there are no guarantees at this stage.

Ornstein expects one of Jorginho and Thomas Partey to leave this summer, and both situations still need to be resolved.

Partey is perhaps the more likely to raise a fee, but Jorginho is the one who is currently set to be out of contract. It could go either way at this point.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 09: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal is substituted on for teammate Jorginho during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Bayern München at Emirates Stadium on April 09, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal is substituted on for teammate Jorginho during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Bayern München at Emirates Stadium on April 09, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Jorginho’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign, though Arsenal have the option to extend it by another year.

The Gunners could also opt to hand Jorginho a completely fresh contract. As it stands, they’ve done neither.

“We’re in no hurry,” Jorginho’s agent Joao Santos said recently in an interview with the Italian media.

“If [Arsenal] were to call us in a month or two to discuss the renewal, that’s fine with us. Would Jorginho like to return to Italy? Yes, of course, because he grew up in Italy and he likes everything about your country.”

Arsenal's Jorginho (L) speaks with referee Anthony Taylor during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 4, 2024. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Jorginho (L) speaks with referee Anthony Taylor during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 4, 2024. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Fabrizio Romano reported in early March that Arsenal would speak to Jorginho’s agent over the coming weeks about his new deal, and the agent had previously confirmed that Arsenal would have priority with regards to the player’s next steps.

But right now, it seems those conversations still haven’t taken place.

In late February, Mark Mann-Bryans broke the news that the Gunners planned to offer a new one-year deal with an option for a second.

If Jorginho accepted, his new contract would take him to 2025, with a club option to extend to 2026.