A move for Morgan Rogers to Arsenal finally seems to be gathering steam.
Aston Villa are said to want over £100million for the 23-year-old, so Arsenal know they will have to pay a premium.
Andrea Berta is working to find out what it would actually take to get the deal done, and may need to get creative.
One solution would make lots of sense for everyone involved.
Arsenal could offer Ethan Nwaneri as part of a deal for Morgan Rogers
The future of Ethan Nwaneri has been in doubt really ever since the signing of Eberechi Eze, but even more so this summer.
What’s the lowest transfer fee you would sell Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri to Chelsea for?
Arsenal could offer the 19-year-old as part of a package deal for Rogers to significantly drive the fee down.
Nwaneri is valued at around £50million and would bring the overall cost of Rogers into more manageable territory.
It’s easy to envision him fitting in at Villa. Unai Emery loves these ‘wingfielder’ type players — those technically gifted, versatile players who can operate between the lines or out wide (Emi Buendia, Jadon Sancho, Harvey Elliot, Rogers himself).
As a young English number ten who can also play wide, Nwaneri is exactly the profile the former Arsenal manager would target.
Arsenal cannot give Ethan Nwaneri the minutes he needs
Nwaneri’s pathway at Arsenal looks extremely limited right now, especially if Rogers joins as expected.
His younger brother Emerson Nwaneri recently committed his future to Arsenal by signing a scholarship deal, which is a positive sign.
But for Ethan, the writing is on the wall, sadly.
Arsenal already have Eze, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, and Max Dowman competing for the number 10 spot.
The Gunners have good reason to delay any Nwaneri departure until later on in the window, given the uncertainty surrounding Bukayo Saka’s fitness though.
He could share the load with Noni Madueke on the right until then, but realistically, Nwaneri wants to be certain of opportunities.
Borussia Dortmund and even Chelsea have both been mooted as potential destinations, though it would pain Arsenal fans to see him convert to the blue side of London.
Hopefully, Arsenal will make sure to include a buyback clause, or at least a significant sell-on clause.
If Nwaneri goes on to develop into the player we know he can be, this might be one Arsenal regret.
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