Arsenal are stepping up their pursuit of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with reports confirming the club has already made direct contact with the player’s representatives.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano outlined the situation clearly, speaking on YouTube about the level of interest from multiple clubs in the 23-year-old.
Romano stated: “For Aston Villa it will be very difficult to keep Morgan Rogers. They understand there will be plenty of clubs interested. I expect several clubs to be at the table.”
He added: “For sure, Arsenal. They are one of the clubs interested and from what I understand, they already had some direct contacts with the agents of Rogers.”
Villa are expected to demand as much as £100m for Rogers, making any potential deal one of the most significant transfers of the summer window.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta faces the challenge of upgrading a squad that just won the Premier League title by seven points, but fell short in the Champions League final against PSG.
The comparison to Declan Rice is one that carries real weight at the Emirates, with Rice’s £105m move from West Ham having proven to be a defining moment for the club.
Josh Kroenke acknowledged as much last week, saying Rice’s arrival “was a gigantic moment for everyone,” adding that any player signed at that price must be “a plug and play player and someone with leadership qualities off the pitch.”
Rogers fits that description closely, having won the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season, an honour previously held by Bukayo Saka, and backing it up with another strong campaign.
The Villa star has scored 14 goals in each of the past two seasons, contributing 16 assists in 2024/25 and a further 12 in 2025/26, making him one of the most productive attacking players in the top flight.
His availability record is equally impressive, having missed only two league games since the start of 2024/25, with one of those absences due to suspension rather than injury.
Rogers primarily operates as an attacking midfielder behind the striker, but his versatility means he can also function on the left flank, a position where Arsenal have been noticeably weak.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli managed just seven league goals between them this season, an output that left Arsenal’s left side looking considerably thin compared to the opposition they faced in Europe.
That vulnerability was exposed in the Champions League final against PSG, whose attack featured the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Khivcha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue across their forward line.
Arsenal’s wingers beyond Saka contributed respectably across all competitions, but the gap in class between the two clubs at the top end of the pitch was difficult to ignore after that defeat.
Rogers, now a Europa League winner with Villa, represents the kind of ready-made, high-ceiling addition that could immediately close that gap and add another dimension to Mikel Arteta’s attack.
Just as Declan Rice’s famous words “it’s not done yet” defined Arsenal’s title mentality this season, bringing Rogers to north London could define the next chapter of their ambitions.