HITC reported back in April that some of the biggest clubs in English football were keeping a very close eye on the Swedish-born Dane.
Premier League giants Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool had ran the rule over Filip Jorgensen during a fine breakthrough season in Spain’s top-flight.
Three months on, however, it is Chelsea – rather than any of the aforementioned trio – who are set to seal a deal for one of Europe’s most hotly-tipped young shot-stoppers.
Still only 22, Jorgensen was a revelation between the sticks for Villarreal in 2023/24. Putting his 6ft 3ins frame and cat-like reflexes to good use, he was a major reason why Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side eventually finished a respectable eighth despite spending the first few months of the campaign flirting dangerously with relegation.
And HITC understands that Villarreal will now bank a sizeable profit on a player who moved to the Castellon Coast from Real Mallorca back in 2017 when he was still a teenager.
Filip Jorgensen is leaving Villarreal for Chelsea
Chelsea have agreed terms in principle with regards to a deal worth close to an initial £20 million.
Jorgensen only signed a new, long-term contract last month but Enzo Maresca’s side are now set to seal a deal for almost half of the keeper’s £38 million release clause, per The Athletic.
Only the final touches are now required. Personal terms are in place, and Jorgensen will soon undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a deal that should keep him at Stamford Bridge for the foreseeable future.
Chelsea, interestingly, already have a number of senior shot-stoppers on their books.
The West London outfit have often been criticised in the Clearlake era for stockpiling talent. And the arrival of Jorgensen – joining Djordje Petrovic and last summer’s £25 million signing Robert Sanchez – will likely be cause for similar complaints.
HITC understands, however, that new head coach Maresca made it clear to the Chelsea hierarchy that he wanted a new number one after being left underwhelmed by the options currently at his disposal.
That is the role Jorgensen is now expected to fill, with either Sanchez or Petrovic maybe set to consider their own options ahead of the final month of the window.
Enzo Maresca pushes for goalkeeper signing
“We’ll see, we’ll see,” the former Manchester City youth coach told BBC Sport when asked about Jorgensen in the aftermath of Chelsea’s 2-2 pre-season draw with Wrexham.
“In this moment, we have four goalkeepers. We will see with the timing. When the transfer window is open, anything can happen. For us and for the rest.”
“What I can say is Robert did very well tonight and did very well since we started.
“For sure, the way we want to play, the goalkeeper is very, very important – one of the main positions. And I don’t want to talk about players that are not Chelsea players but I am very happy with Robert.”
Chelsea have already made a host of signings this summer, reuniting Maresca with his former Leicester midfield general Kieran Dewsbury-Hall while luring Tosin Adarabioyo down the road from neighbours Fulham.
The potentially ‘unstoppable’ Marc Guiu has also joined, much to the disappointment of many of a Barcelona persuasion.
