Chelsea have reached an agreement with Aston Villa for the permanent transfer of Morgan Rogers to Stamford Bridge this summer, as per David Ornstein.
Rogers has been one of the most sought-after players over the past two seasons, and unsurprisingly so, given his performances since moving to the Premier League from Middlesbrough in the 2024 winter transfer window.
Since his move, he has enjoyed a meteoric rise at both club and individual levels, where he has provided 60 goal contributions, including 26 last campaign, winning the 2024–25 PFA Young Player of the Year and playing a key role in Villa’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League in two of the last three seasons.
Described as ‘fantastic’ by Villa’s boss Unai Emery, the versatile forward’s reputation grew even further in the Europa League campaign, where he won the Player of the Tournament after providing 8 goal contributions that guided the Villans to their first major trophy since 1996.
Rogers has been heavily linked with Arsenal this summer, with Football Talk citing Fabrizio Romano reporting that Arsenal are planning to accelerate efforts to sign him.
However, it appears Chelsea have now stolen a march on their London rivals, as David Ornstein reports that Chelsea have reached an agreement with Villa to sign Rogers on a permanent transfer.
Fantastic forward
The transfer expert adds that the deal is being finalised after Villa accepted the Blues’ £117m bid, eclipsing the £116m British record fee Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest to sign Elliot Anderson.
While Arsenal have been interested, the 23-year-old chose Chelsea after Xabi Alonso played a crucial role and is set to undergo his medical on Monday before signing a six-year contract with an option of another year, Ornstein adds.
Since Cole Palmer first used the iconic ‘cold’ celebration in Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Luton Town on December 30, 2023, there have been growing debates over who originally owns the celebration, which Rogers also uses.
With both players now set to reunite at Stamford Bridge after spending time at City’s Academy, the debate over who originally owns the celebration is expected to make waves again.
However, an even bigger talking point would be who gets to play in the No. 10 role if Xabi Alonso chooses to play a three-at-the-back system, as both players share similar qualities.
With players on international duty expected to join Chelsea’s preseason in Asia next month, there’ll be a clearer picture of how Alonso intends to set up his team and where Rogers and Palmer best fit ahead of next season.
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