Jorginho is ready to move across London, leaving Chelsea to become the fourth ever Italian to play for Arsenal.
The 31-year-old midfielder will sign an 18-month contract with the Gunners, with an option for a further year, after a £12m deal was agreed with the Blues.
Jorginho has been an important part of Chelsea’s recent history, making 213 appearances for the club and helping them win both the Champions League and the Europa League.
Signing for Arsenal makes Jorginho the club’s fourth ever Italian player, adding him to an exclusive list.
The Gunners’ first player from Italy was centre forward Arturo Lupoli, who joined the Premier League side from Parma’s youth system for €300,000 in July 2004. Lupoli hardly featured for Arsenal, scoring three goals across his nine appearances before leaving on a free transfer in July 2007.
Arsenal’s second Italian was goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who arrived from Atalanta Primavera for €500,000 in July 2005. Playing a backup role, he hardly featured in North London and spent time on loan with Barnsley and Hull City before leaving for Sunderland in July 2013 for €2.4m. The shot stopper did make 23 appearances for the club, keeping six clean sheets.
The Gunners’ third and final Italian before Jorginho was goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano. The shot stopper joined the Premier League outfit on loan for the 2013-14 season and made no appearances before returning to Palermo at the end of that campaign.