Chelsea make £80m Aston Villa star ‘top target’ as return bid to ‘immediately trigger formal offer’
Chelsea have made Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers their ‘top target’ for the remainder of the transfer window and a reciprocal bid ‘would trigger an immediate formal offer’ for the England international.
The Blues are the biggest spenders this summer after laying out over £210m on new signings to bolster Enzo Maresca’s after Club World Cup glory followed the Conference League trophy and a top four finish in the Premier League to secure Champions League football for the coming season.
Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens have arrived to improve Maresca’s forward options but Chelsea want to add another attacking player to their ranks this summer as Noni Madueke has left for Arsenal, while the club also tries to find buyers for Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have all been linked with Nkunku, whom Chelsea want £35m for, while it’s claimed Felix will ‘accept a pay cut’ in order to ‘complete dream transfer’ back to Benfica.
A report earlier this week claimed Chelsea have ‘reignited interest’ in Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho, but now The Sun claim ‘they are ready to push the boat out to bring in England star Rogers’.
Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough for just £15m in February 2024 but his value has soared on the back of 17 goals and 16 assists under Unai Emery, with his standout performances earning him six caps for England last season.
Chelsea have been encouraged by Villa’s interest in Nicolas Jackson, who looks set to fall down the Chelsea pecking order next term if he stays at the club following the signings of Pedro and Delap, who both impressed during the Club World Cup.
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While the report claims ‘a partial-swap deal involving Jackson is NOT on the cards because financial rules make separate transfers more attractive’, there is hope – at least on Chelsea’s part – that a deal can be reached which would see the players change places.
‘A Villa bid for Jackson would trigger an immediate formal offer from Chelsea for Rogers’, the report adds, though ‘sources indicate that the saga is more likely to continue into August as both clubs juggle their money’.
The report adds:
‘Villa would love to find a way to stay within Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules and Uefa regulations without selling Rogers at all.
‘But if the Midlanders are unable to bring in decent fees for other bankable stars like Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and Leon Bailey, they could be forced to cash in on their prime asset.’
