End of the road? What could the arrival of this £46.5m superstar at Man City mean to their talented midfield duo

According to reports, Manchester City are expected to sign Jorginho from Napoli this week for £46.5m. Jorginho, 26, made 39 appearances in all competitions for Napoli last season, scoring 4 goals and setting up as many as the club finished runners-up to Juventus in Serie A.

After winning the Premier League last season, City boss Pep Guardiola would want to bring a couple of new players to the Etihad Stadium in the summer to improve his squad.

The Cityzens, who strolled to the Premier League title, finishing 19 points clear of their cross-town rivals Manchester United, also won the League Cup last term.

However, their failure in the Champions League would suggest that there is still room for improvement and Guardiola needs to add quality as well as depth to his squad this summer to challenge on all fronts in the 2018/19 campaign.

And the Catalan manager is heading in the right direction with Jorginho expected to be City’s first signing of the summer, sooner rather than later.

With Yaya Toure leaving the club, there is a void in midfield which needs to be filled by City. Jorginho isn’t Toure’s replacement in the truest sense as he is likely to challenge Fernandinho for a place in the starting line-up at City.

Fernandinho was the unsung hero in City’s title triumph last season. He played 48 times in all competitions last term and single-handedly shouldered the burden from a deeper midfield role.

Though Fernandinho has been imperious over the past 12 months, the Brazilian needs help and cover next season as he will turn 34 next year. In that case, Jorginho’s arrival would ease the burden off Fernandinho’s shoulders.

Jorginho is a perfect fit for Guardiola – he is a technically gifted player, who is able to dictate the tempo of a game with his passing and vision, whilst also shielding the backline with minimum fuss.

The Italian possesses a unique intelligence and a blend of passing abilities to run the game from his anchoring position which has already seen him draw comparisons with his legendary compatriot Andrea Pirlo.

Jorginho blossomed in Maurizio Sarri’s high-octane 4-3-3 system at Napoli, occupying a deep-lying playmaker’s role and running the show.

Keeping that in mind, he would fit well into Guardiola’s system and preferred style of play at City. While Jorginho’s arrival will ease the pressure on Fernandinho’s defensive midfield duties, it could lead to less game time for Ilkay Gundogan next season.

Gundogan is a box-to-box midfielder but with Guardiola often opting Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva as his midfield enforcers in his 4-3-3 system, first-team opportunities have diminished for the  German international.

With City closing in on Jorginho, Gundogan could be reduced to a more peripheral figure at the Etihad Stadium next term.

As things stand, Jorginho could prove to be an excellent piece of business for City. The 26-year-old will bring panache and poise to the Light Blues and with vital Champions League experience behind his back, he could just be the signing of the summer for the Premier League champions.