Exclusive: Arsenal ‘very close’ to major Morgan Rogers breakthrough

8 Jul 2026 10:01 CDT | 4 min read
Morgan Rogers, Arsenal, 2026
© IMAGO
Steve Kay
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Arsenal are very close to agreeing personal terms with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, FootballTransfers can reveal.

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The Gunners' interest in Rogers was exclusively revealed in May 2025, though ultimately no move was made for the 23-year-old last summer.

With competition building after the former Middlesbrough man produced another outstanding season for Aston Villa, Mikel Arteta’s side are accelerating to complete a big-money deal.

Current ETV
Player image Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers

AM (C), M (CL)

A. Villa logo

A. Villa

Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers

AM (C), M (CL)

A. Villa

A. Villa

€65.1M

ETV Range

€58.6M - €71.7M

Morgan Rogers to Arsenal: Contract agreement nears

An agreement over personal terms are “very, very close”, FootballTransfers understands, with the England international ready to commit to a five-year contract with the Emirates side.

However, there are still major hurdles to be cleared before a deal is finalised, with Aston Villa seeking a sizeable fee for a player they picked up for just €9.4 million at the end of the winter transfer window of 2024.

Sources indicate that the Villans will demand at least €150m (£130m) for Rogers, which would make him the most expensive player in Premier League history and would smash the €117m fee that Arsenal paid to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in 2023.

The Gunners’ first bid will not come close to that figure. Arsenal are ready to make an offer worth €85m, with the North London club typically structuring this in a manner that would see half the fee head to Aston Villa by way of an upfront payment and the other 50% structured in payments over three years.

Morgan Rogers in England action
© IMAGO - Morgan Rogers in England action

Impending Trossard exit frees up space

Arsenal will certainly sign a winger this summer, with Rogers top of the wish list put together by sporting director Andrea Berta, who is a long-standing admirer of the player.

The Gunners have already agreed a deal to sell Leandro Trossard, who is out of contract in 2027, to Besiktas for a reported total fee of €20m.

The Turkish side are picking up the pace when it comes to a deal, with reports from Turkey indicating that agent Dirk Hebel is travelling to Istanbul to conduct face-to-face talks with the Super Lig club. Meanwhile, Besiktas are poised to send representatives to the US to talk to Trossard while he is on World Cup duty with Belgium.

Current ETV
Player image Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard

F, M (L)

Arsenal logo

Arsenal

Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard

F, M (L)

Arsenal

Arsenal

€15.3M

ETV Range

€13.8M - €16.8M

Arsenal must break transfer policy to sign Rogers

Although the pieces are moving into place to allow Rogers to complete his move to Arsenal, Villa’s expectation of a British record fee means this saga still likely has a long way to run.

The Gunners might have spent €294m last summer on new signings that helped them win the Premier League, but they are not a club with a history of breaking the bank for new arrivals. Indeed, their marquee arrivals a year ago – Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke – were all signed in the €50-70m bracket. Piero Hincapie also falls into this category after making his loan from Bayer Leverkusen permanent.

Rogers would shatter that transfer policy, but with terms on a contract close, there is no doubt that Arsenal are deadly serious about snapping up the England ace.