With concerns increasing that Morgan Rogers could leave the club this summer, Aston Villa have reportedly stepped up their efforts to sign an instant replacement for their star midfielder.
Arsenal considering Morgan Rogers bid
Aston Villa find themselves in a vulnerable spot this summer. Their PSR concern is an open secret in the Premier League and their rivals know that they may need to sell at least one key man to comply with the financial rules by the end of June. And that could hand them an uphill battle to keep hold of Rogers if Arsenal come calling in the coming weeks.
There is no doubt that those in the Midlands would like to keep hold of such a talented player. After all, there's very good reason why Rogers was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year and is a strong favourite to win the award. But they may have little choice in the matter if an offer in the region of £50m or above arrives for Rogers' signature this month.
What has not helped ease Villa's concerns about Rogers' future are recent reports that Arsenal are seriously considering submitting an offer to sign the England international this summer after missing out on Nico Williams to Barcelona.
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It would undoubtedly rub salt in Aston Villa's wounds if they not only lost one of their best players, but lost that player to a Premier League rival. Nonetheless, those in the Midlands are seemingly preparing for the worst and have already reportedly set their sights on signing a potential replacement for Rogers in the coming months.
Aston Villa step up efforts to sign Eze
In the event that Rogers leaves the club this summer, it looks as though the Villans will turn their focus towards South London. According to Football Transfers, Aston Villa are now stepping up their efforts to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace and have made the midfielder their priority target.
Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref) Eberechi Eze Morgan Rogers
Starts 31 37
Goals 8 8
Assists 8 10
Key Passes 58 51
It certainly makes sense that Aston Villa are looking towards Eze to potentially replace Rogers. The Crystal Palace star almost matched his England teammate all the way in output last season whilst making fewer Premier League appearances and took his total to 14 goals in all competitions.
Like Unai Emery, however, Oliver Glasner won't want to lose his key man this summer. The Crystal Palace boss was full of praise for Eze last season, telling reporters back in September: "Who’s a better player than Eze? For me he’s absolutely top, if he was luckier this season he would have five or six goals.
Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze poses with the player of the match trophy
“He’s always dangerous because he has the quality and ability at 1-1, he’s such an unbelievable finisher, in some situations he can improve, he’s a guy who can always score and he’s someone who everyone likes. This is why he’s on the pitch because he’s able to score goals.”