Chelsea are reportedly in pole position to sign Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, but could face competition from other heavyweight clubs.
The Blues bolstered their attacking department this summer by signing Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Estevao, Kendry Paez and Facundo Buonanotte, but it appears that Enzo Maresca is still looking to add more depth and quality in those areas.
There could be room for a new addition if Chelsea manage to offload Raheem Sterling, who Maresca has frozen out, and Rodgers reportedly emerges as a potential option.
According to a report from Caughtoffside, the Blues are emerging as frontrunners in the race for the Villa midfielder and have identified him as their top target in the January window.
Chelsea eye blockbuster January transfer?
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca during his side's match against Liverpool, on October 4, 2025
Rodgers moved to Villa in the January window of 2024 for a measly fee of £8m, and has quickly emerged as one of the best attacking midfielders in the country, let alone for Villa.
The 23-year-old can play across all attacking positions, but Unai Emery primarily uses him behind the striker in the number 10 role.
The report claims that Chelsea believe that Rogers is ideally suited to match both the intensity of the Premier League and the demands of European football, and they want to move for him as early as January.
European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League champion Liverpool have been reportedly linked with a move for Rogers, but any potential suitor will have to pay a premium fee of around £80m.
Villa are unlikely to lose him during the middle of the season, but they could be forced to do business, especially knowing they could make a huge profit from his sale, and the money can be reinvested into the squad.
Rogers has yet to sparkle in new season
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers celebrates scoring on April 5, 2025
The England midfielder scored 14 goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign, but has not been able to replicate the form in the new season.
Rogers has managed only three assists in all competitions, but he has shown signs of returning to his best form this month with a strong performance in Villa's 2-1 win over Burnley.
The Villa midfielder probably needs to move to a bigger club to take his game to the next level, and he might be tempted to move to Chelsea, even though they have a plethora of options in their attacking department.
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