Arsenal are pushing hard to sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers this summer, with the player himself reportedly expecting to join the Premier League champions.
The Gunners spent nearly £250m last summer and delivered results, with Mikel Arteta’s side winning the Premier League title in convincing fashion.
Despite that domestic success, Arsenal fell short in the Champions League, losing out on penalties and narrowly missing the chance to win Europe’s biggest prize for the first time in the club’s history.
Sporting director Andrea Berta now faces the task of building a squad capable of challenging for both the Premier League and Champions League in the same season.
Midfield depth and wide attacking options were identified as problem areas during 2025/26, with Martin Zubimendi playing more minutes than all but David Raya and Declan Rice throughout the campaign.
On the flanks, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli both showed signs of decline, with Martinelli scoring just once in the Premier League across the entire season.
Trossard scored a famous winner away at West Ham during the title run-in, but before that goal he had gone 25 consecutive appearances in all competitions without finding the net.
According to Chelsea insider Alex Goldberg, Rogers ‘expects’ to be playing for Arsenal next season, a significant boost to the club’s pursuit of the 23-year-old England international.
Aston Villa are reluctant to sell and could demand anywhere between £80m and £100m, though Arsenal are said to have already opened club-to-club talks over a summer deal.
Arsenal are also in discussions over Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis, with a feeling that if the Gunners push for that deal, it will get wrapped up swiftly.
Rogers registered 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season, with 16 goal involvements coming in 33 appearances when playing through the middle.
The England international also demonstrated his versatility by contributing nine goal involvements in 17 appearances on the left flank, highlighting his value across multiple attacking positions.
Comparing Rogers to Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard using per-90 Premier League statistics reveals a player who combines the best traits of both, with very few identifiable weaknesses.
Rogers posted a shot accuracy of 55 percent and a conversion rate of 11.9 percent, outperforming both Eze at 51 percent accuracy and Odegaard at a conversion rate of just 4.55 percent.
His progressive carries per 90 stood at 2.55, well ahead of Eze at 0.99 and Odegaard at 1.91, underlining his ability to drive forward with the ball in dangerous areas.
Odegaard found the net just once in the whole of 2025/26, while Eze’s five goals against Spurs accounted for the majority of his attacking contribution across the season.
Rogers has missed just two league matches since the beginning of 2024/25, making him one of the most durable attacking midfielders in the top flight.
Arteta views that physical availability as a significant factor, with the Gunners having struggled when key creative players were unavailable or out of form at crucial points last season.
If Arsenal can secure Rogers for around the £80m mark, it would represent a statement signing that reinforces their title defence while strengthening their European ambitions considerably.
The deal remains complicated by Villa’s reluctance, but with the player’s own desire to make the move, Arsenal’s hierarchy will be confident a transfer can be concluded before the summer window closes.