Morgan Rogers has been Arsenal’s primary target all summer.
The pursuit has been building quietly for months, with the player wanting to join the Gunners over other clubs despite more lucrative offers elsewhere.
The Aston Villa man has had Declan Rice in his ear all summer, and was even spotted socialising with former Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs on the day of the title parade.
A deal has been building without any formal movement, but now, according to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are ready to take the next step.
Arsenal set to make official bid for Morgan Rogers
TEAMtalk report that Arsenal have made significant progress in discussions with Rogers’ representatives over the past few days, leaving the club increasingly confident they are the England international’s preferred destination.
🤔 PICK ONE: Would you rather Arsenal signed Bradley Barcola or Morgan Rogers this summer?
This has given Arsenal the belief to press ahead with an official approach to Villa, with Andrea Berta leading the negotiations as he looks to complete what would be the biggest signing of his tenure at the Emirates.
However, Villa have maintained that Rogers is not for sale and are demanding a fee comfortably in excess of £100million to even begin discussions.
Any deal would likely need to make Rogers the most expensive English player in history, surpassing the £116million Manchester City paid for Elliot Anderson. That inflated benchmark has complicated Arsenal’s entire summer.
Chelsea could also come into the equation — director of recruitment Joe Shields has a long-standing relationship with Rogers.
Manchester City, United and Liverpool are all monitoring the situation too. But Arsenal are now widely viewed as leading the chase.
Arsenal’s plan for Morgan Rogers and the Arsenal attack
It seems Mikel Arteta sees Rogers primarily as the long-term solution on the left side of his attack rather than as a number ten, believing the Villa star possesses the qualities to elevate Arsenal’s frontline for years to come.
Arsenal are already preparing to pave the way for incomings, with Leandro Trossard having already agreed personal terms with Besiktas.
Gabriel Jesus is also available for sale, and the club are also listening to offers for Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri.
The left side is being rebuilt around Rogers as the centrepiece. Bradley Barcola and Christos Tzolis remain of interest, but Rogers is the priority.
A move for Julian Alvarez is firmly on the backburner while Barcelona remain in the picture for the Argentine.
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