Emile Heskey says Aston Villa "can't keep selling" despite the financial restrictions they face due to Squad Cost Rules
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
View Image
Former Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey has urged the club to resist selling Morgan Rogers this summer.
The 23-year-old attacker is one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League during this transfer window and would command a substantial fee if Aston Villa decided to sell him.
While Villa are under no immediate pressure to cash in on Rogers, a significant transfer fee could provide manager Unai Emery with the funds needed to strengthen areas of his squad that require improvement.
Villa also have an ageing squad, meaning they possess relatively few assets capable of generating the kind of income needed to support a major rebuild.
After winning the Europa League last season and finishing fourth in the Premier League, Villa will benefit from Champions League revenue for the second time in three years.
Despite the ongoing restrictions imposed by Squad Cost Rules (SCR), Heskey believes Villa should reject any approaches for Rogers and retain one of their most valuable assets during this transfer window.
“He's definitely ready for that step up. Villa's in a difficult position where they have to sell players on to balance the books,” Heskey told Standard Sport.
“But look, I think for Villa, they've got to try and keep players like that. You can't keep selling.
“I was at Villa when Ashley Young left, Gareth Barry left, James Milner left. Players like Stewart Downing left. They are really trying to build on top of that and have a go. So it's tough for them.”
Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested in Rogers, who have five years remaining on his Villa contract.
The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone
Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It's a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice
Every day, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Aston Villa content.
Our dedicated reporter John Townley - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows Villa home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Villa newsletter here.
You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive's Villa team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Villa stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Villa as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.
Our weekly Aston Villa podcast, Claret And Blue, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here and via Apple here.