Morgan Rogers has signed as a new Chelsea player and Fabrizio Romano has revealed whether Arsenal will now hijack the next big Blues move to gain a measure of revenge.
Arsenal believed they’d be the ones to sign Morgan Rogers this summer, and made significant progress in discussions with the player.
However, their reluctance to pay the type of fee Aston Villa were demanding swung the door wide open for Chelsea.
The Blues showed no hesitation in agreeing to make Rogers the most expensive British player ever at £117m without the aid of add-ons.
And on Monday evening, Rogers not only passed a medical, but also put pen to paper on a six-year contract with Chelsea that contains a club option for a seventh season.
Next up for Xabi Alonso’s side is Crystal Palace and France centre-back, Maxence Lacroix.
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Fabrizio Romano clarifies if Arsenal will hijack Chelsea transfer
The 26-year-old is valued by Palace at £55m, with the club using the £52m Tottenham paid to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton as a measuring stick.
But with Arsenal exploring the centre-back market after William Saliba suffered a back injury that may require surgery to fix, reports have claimed the Gunners could nip in for Lacroix.
Taking to YouTube on Monday night to clarify the situation, Romano insisted Arsenal are NOT a factor in this story right now.
Instead, it’s full steam ahead for Chelsea who are racing to strike a club-to-club agreement with Palace.
“For Lacroix Chelsea remain in absolutely active and concrete talks with Crystal Palace,” declared Romano.
“All parties involved are talking, the ownership, agents of the player… I’m told that reports over the weekend of Arsenal getting involved at the moment are not true.
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“If Arsenal will jump into it, I’ll let you know, but at the moment the player is fully focused on joining Chelsea.
“Lacroix is open and keen on joining Chelsea, and the deal is now in the hands of the two clubs about the transfer fee.”
Romano concluded by noting Chelsea are now “working hard” to seal a club-to-club agreement “as soon as possible.”
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