Arsenal had long been considered favourites in the race to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa but the England star could now join their London rivals, Chelsea
Morgan Rogers #17 of England walks out the tunnel for the pitch inspection before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium
Morgan Rogers looks to be Chelsea-bound(Image: Getty)
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Chelsea are on the cusp of sealing a deal worth £117million for Morgan Rogers in what would be one of the summer's biggest transfers.
Rogers, 23, has emerged as one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe after another dazzling season with Aston Villa and was always expected to move for a significant transfer fee after the World Cup.
Arsenal had seemed to be the most likely destination for the former Middlesbrough star and are known to be huge admirers of Rogers.
But it is Chelsea who have now struck a verbal agreement to sign Rogers for a fee of £117m, with the player relishing the prospect of linking up with Chelsea's new manager, Xabi Alonso.
With Stamford Bridge Rogers' preferred destination, the player has already agreed terms on a six-year contract and a medical is pencilled in for after the weekend.
Rogers started and notched an assist in England's heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina and could be in action again tonight in the third-place play-off with France.
The transfer will trigger a huge windfall for Rogers former club, Middlesbrough, who included a 20 per cent sell-on clause into the deal which took the attacking midfielder to Villa Park for an initial £7m with a further £8m in add-ons back in the 2024 winter window.