Jorginho admits he is 'curious' about proposed Arsenal exit | OneFootball

Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has revealed he is "curious" about the idea of playing club football back home in Brazil, amid ongoing interest from Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo.

Having recently missed out on Jorginho in the winter transfer window, Flamengo are still hoping to recruit the veteran in early June to boost their squad ahead of the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup.

Jorginho was born and raised in Brazil, moving to Italy at the age of 16 and obtaining citizenship that allowed him to represent Italy at international level. It means that he hasn't actually played football in Brazil since youth level and the chance to change that is enticing.

"I don't believe that I missed out. But I am curious, today, to know what it's like [to play in Brazil], to experience it," the 33-year-old told ESPN Brasil.

"But for my growth, playing professionally was not a problem. It helped me was when I was a child, for my growth. In Brazil it's different. I played barefoot on the street, on the beach. I think that helped me a lot in terms of growing up in contact with the ball."

Jorginho has never played in Brazil due to moving to Italy at 16 / Claudio Villa/GettyImages

Flamengo sporting director Jose Boto has already confirmed to Brazilian journalist Vene Casagrande that the "ball is in his court" with regard to Jorginho's proposed move.

"If everything goes well, he will play in the World Cup for Flamengo. The league ends in May, the players change clubs and there is an agreement between the clubs to release the athletes as soon as the season ends," Boto said.

Brazil's off-season transfer window remained open until the end of February, but FIFA has also granted a temporary short additional window  in the first ten days of June for clubs participating in the new tournament. Things get underway there on 14 June until 13 July.

The only drawback for Jorginho is that leaving Arsenal before his contract expires at the end of June would require him to forgo a loyalty bonus he would otherwise be entitled to.