Lionel Messi clear £60m Chelsea verdict highlights why Declan Rice risk is worth taking

It was noteworthy that Lionel Messi singled out Jorginho for praise in his post-match comments on Wednesday after Argentina beat Italy at Wembley in the 'Finalissima' 3-0.

Despite his nation's pretty comfortable victory and another individual example of his genius, Messi, completely unprompted namechecked the Chelsea midfielder on the complicated task of facing him.

"The first half was a bit complicated for us because we couldn't find a way around Jorginho, who played a bit free and that made it difficult for us to get the ball." Jorginho had received criticism for his performance on the evening, culpable for giving the ball away for one of the goals.

Jorginho enters a summer with his future uncertain at Stamford Bridge. As he begins the final year of his current contract at Chelsea, it appears unlikely a long-term deal is around the corner, meaning that the club will either have to cash in on him this window or face the prospect of losing him for nothing in 12 months time.

Although there is a good argument for selling Jorginho now, the difficulty in replacing him with one of Chelsea's preferred targets poses an awkward question. With Aurelien Tchouameni seemingly Madrid-bound, the clearest alternative to Declan Rice now appears off the table.

The Blues' interest in Rice is no secret, nor is the concept of Rice being open to returning to his boyhood club either. Though West Ham's hardened stance of not for sale, or valuing Rice beyond £100million makes any deal a big hurdle. It's even questionable whether a deal would be feasible in a summer where Chelsea need to invest in other areas across the squad.

Jorginho had the best year of his career in 2021. He became a regular under Thomas Tuchel, won the Champions League