Morgan Rogers completes British-record £117m move to Chelsea
Chelsea have beaten Arsenal to the Aston Villa attacker, with Xabi Alonso personally instrumental in persuading the England international to choose Stamford Bridge. A medical is scheduled for Monday on a six-plus-one-year contract.
Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with Aston Villa to sign Morgan Rogers, with a £117million bid accepted and the deal being finalised ahead of a medical on Monday. The 23-year-old chose Stamford Bridge over a rival offer from Arsenal, who had been chasing the attacking midfielder for much of the summer.
According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Xabi Alonso was "instrumental" in winning Rogers over, with the Chelsea head coach personally selling his vision for the player following his appointment after last season's disappointing 10th-place finish. Rogers will sign a six-plus-one-year contract once the medical is complete, and can operate either as an attacking midfielder or from the wing.
The fee, if confirmed, would edge out Elliot Anderson's £116m move to Manchester City as the most expensive transfer of the summer and a new British transfer record. Aston Villa had been holding out for a fee in excess of £130m earlier in the window before agreeing to let their talisman leave for £117m.
Rogers is currently on World Cup duty with England, where he has been a regular super-sub under Thomas Tuchel: his shot forced the save that Jude Bellingham converted for the extra-time winner against Norway in the round of 16, and he supplied the assist for Anthony Gordon's opener in England's 2-1 semifinal defeat to Argentina. He is in the squad for today's third-place play-off against France at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, before turning his attention to his move.