Chelsea have agreed a £117m deal to sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers.
The latest reports had suggested that Arsenal were the front runners to sign the highly-rated midfielder, but the Blues have swooped in to finalise a deal.
Rogers will sign a 6-year deal with the option of a further year, and will undergo his medical on Monday.
Arsenal had made Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers their top transfer target this summer, according to multiple reports.
The Gunners were expected to accelerate their interest in the attacking midfielder following England’s World Cup exit.
Villa do not want to sell their star player, and have demanded a fee of around £117m to let him leave the Midlands before the 2026/27 campaign.
Arsenal’s interest came after they finalised a £34m deal for Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, as a replacement for Leandro Trossard, who has joined Besiktas.
Given deals for both Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson have exceeded £100m this summer, Villa feel they are justified in their asking price, especially since head coach Unai Emery would prefer to have Rogers as part of his squad going forward.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham were also keen on the England international, who started the World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina on Wednesday.
Still only 23, he impressed for the Villans last term, scoring 14 goals and adding 11 assists in 55 appearances, as well as helping the club on their way to Europa League glory and a place in next season’s Champions League.
Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough in 2024 for just £16m, and has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of the country’s most influential midfielders.
No.10 or on the wing?
Debate has surrounded Rogers and his potential move to Chelsea, with fans questioning where he would play.
With Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze already at the club, reports suggest that he would have been deployed as a wide option.
But after making a name for himself as an attacking midfielder, doubts remain over whether that would get the best out of the 21-cap international.
Last season, he played 1528 minutes as a left winger for Villa, around 45% of his total time on the pitch.
In comparison, he featured as an attacking midfielder for 1607 minutes.
However, this was mostly due to the fact that Emery deploys a fluid system, which sees players like Rogers rotate across 90 minutes, with Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn doing the same.
Either way, Rogers has proven to be a flexible option for both Villa and England, and can undoubtedly improve in either position, with his best years still ahead of him.