Arsenal transfer news
Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta puts Arsenal at the front of the queue for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers
Arsenal transfer news: Arsenal think they have done it, as reported by Graeme Bailey. They believe they are leading the race to land Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta didn’t leave this to the suits. He got involved personally, selling the Emirates project directly to the England international. It worked. The chat turned the player’s head, and confidence in north London is growing by the day.
Originally, the Gunners wanted Julian Alvarez. That slid off the table when the Atlético Madrid forward made it clear he only had eyes for Barcelona. Arsenal pivoted fast. Rogers shot right to the top of the summer wishlist.
He is coming off a monster of a year in the Midlands. 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League only tell half the story. Unai Emery made him the focal point. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award, but his crowning moment arrived on May 20, 2026. He bagged in the 3-0 demolition of SC Freiburg to lift the Europa League trophy, later walking away with the UEFA player of the tournament award.
The hundred-million-pound standoff
Villa are dug in. They aren’t blinking.
Word from the West Midlands is that any deal must smash the £100 million Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish five years ago. They want Rogers to be the biggest sale in club history. Emery holds a massive hand here because the lad is locked down on a contract until June 2031.
Transfer insider Ben Jacobs says Rogers is the priority and wants the move. Fabrizio Romano went a bit madder with it, calling the Villa man Arsenal’s “number one, two, and three target” while confirming talks on the player’s side are well down the road.
Chelsea and Manchester City are still sniffing around, though. Both clubs are talking to the player’s agents. City are undergoing a massive clear-out and rebuild with Enzo Maresca taking the wheel, and they fancy bringing a former academy product back home.
Read: Arsenal have entered the race for €41.8m Liverpool man
Arsenal look quicker to the mark. They see him playing off the left but shifting into that crucial number ten pocket when needed. Right now, Rogers is out in North America at the World Cup, coming off the bench in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia. Any official bid will hit Villa’s desk while he is away on international duty. Arsenal want him, the player is keen, but they still have to make Villa blink.
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