Tony Cascarino believes Arsenal should refuse to pay £130million for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.
The England international moved to the midlands outfit in 2024 from Middlesbrough for a reported fee rising to £15m.
Morgan Rogers for Aston Villa.
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Rogers recorded 14 goals last season for VillaCredit: Getty
In his second full campaign, he netted 14 goals and provided 15 assists.
His most valuable contributions were in a 3-0 victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final, where he was named the competition's Player of the Season.
Rogers signed a contract extension with the Villans in November which runs until 2031.
The Gunners are prepared to escalate their interest in the winger following the World Cup, during which the 23-year-old has made six appearances for the Three Lions.
talkSPORT understands the London-based outfit have alreadyheldtalks with both the player and his current club, and a £130million fee has been mooted.
In a rich man's world
On talkSPORT's Weekend Sports Breakfast, the former Villa frontman spoke about Rogers' reported price tag and whether a club should go 'all out'.
He said: "No, you should never just go all out. You pay a fair figure for a player that you like. Once you go beyond that, you can’t keep going further and further.
"Of course he’s not [worth £130m], but is he a very good player? Yes!"
Earlier in the transfer window, Elliot Anderson became the most expensive British player in history as the midfielder moved to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest for £116m.
Anderson became a crucial figure at the City Ground two years ago and started every game for Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup.
Elliot Anderson dribbling
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Anderson has starred for England at his first major tournamentCredit: AFP
Despite Forest finishing in 16th last season, no other Premier League player recorded more touches (3,300), duels won (298), possessions won (306), fouls won (80) than the 23-year-old.
Additionally, Tottenham Hotspur signed Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for a club-record fee of £100m.
Spurs smashed their spending record twice in one week, having previously completed an £85million signing for Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.
While Rogers' valuation aligns with current trends, it remains astonishing nonetheless.
Is £130m worth it?
The Gunners previously spent £105m on Conference League winner Declan Rice in 2023, while he was an established England international.
Taking market inflation into account alongside the fact that Rogers also has Champions League experience at a young age explains why he could see the British record broken for the second time this summer.
One area the current Premier League champions lack depth in is on the left-wing, where the Villa star would be expected to start ahead of GabrielMartinelli.
Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon at the World Cup
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Rogers got the assist for England's opening goal against Argentina but the Three Lions lost 2-1Credit: Getty
Mikel Arteta will be looking to go one better in Europe next season, after his side lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final last season.
However, Cascarino believes the Europa League winner is not worth the sum, saying: "The way we look at numbers now, if someone is below £100million, they are basically a free transfer.
"We are getting so silly on the fees that are being paid and Europe won’t follow.
"They might pay the fee for players being released by other Premier League clubs but they are not going to pay that much. Apart from maybe PSG."
The ex-Chelsea striker believes that to strengthen the Arsenal squad, they need to invest in more talent from abroad, including the team that defeated them in the Champions League final.
He added: "I think trying to maintain the Premier League is a massive challenge for them. Arsenal bought players to win them the league and get themselves over the line.
"I think there’s certainly plenty of PSG players they could be tempted to go after. I like Desire Doue rather than Bradley Barcola, but I don’t think PSG will let him go."