Chelsea are leading the race to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in the winter transfer window, the latest report has claimed.
The Blues emerged as 2-0 winners against Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, with centre-back Josh Acheampong opening the scoring shortly after half time.
Head coach Enzo Maresca will be delighted that his side have scored five goals in their last two Premier League games, especially in light of the news that talisman Cole Palmer will miss another six weeks of action at least.
The Londoners have at times looked blunt without the Englishman, and it remains to be seen if they can continue to get by in his absence.
CaughtOffside claim that Chelsea could look to sign Villa attacker Rogers, and they have not been put off by the £80m asking price.
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers celebrates scoring on April 5, 2025
Does Morgan Rogers make sense for Chelsea in the January transfer window?
Rogers has endured a difficult start to the 2025-26 season, providing just two assists while failing to find the back of the net in seven Premier League games.
The Englishman is capable of playing out wide on the left and in a central position, though he is undoubtedly at his best when given the freedom to carry the ball at pace.
Current Chelsea forwards Pedro Neto and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens provide carrying threat from out wide, but neither are particularly comfortable in central areas.
The ability to break past opposition players in the middle could be invaluable, especially against teams that press aggressively, and the 23-year-old would make the Blues' squad significantly stronger.
Aston Villa hat-trick hero Morgan Rogers with the match ball after his side's clash with Celtic on January 29, 2025
What is Chelsea's long-term plan for the squad?
While Rogers would improve Maresca's options, it is unclear how the Spanish boss would be able to fit all of his attacking stars into the same XI.
Palmer will almost certainly claim a starting spot as a number 10, and having Rogers compete with Neto and Bynoe-Gittens could be disruptive to squad harmony.
It should also be noted that Maresca has spoken about how Joao Pedro enjoys playing off of a central striker, but deploying him in a withdrawn role would clash with plans to play Palmer as an attacking midfielder.
Perhaps it would be better if Chelsea looked to develop the young players already at the club rather than to make further additions that may cause selection headaches in the coming months.
ID:583870:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4598: