Morgan Rogers’ future is becoming one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer.
The Aston Villa star has attracted interest from several elite clubs after establishing himself as one of the most exciting attacking players in the Premier League.
Reports have claimed that Rogers had his heart set on a move to the Emirates Stadium if he decided to leave Villa Park.
That remains the case to an extent, but a new development means the race may not be quite as straightforward as it once seemed.
Which Morgan do you want at Arsenal and WHY – Gibbs-White or Rogers?
Morgan Rogers is now keeping his options open despite preferring Arsenal
Arsenal’s interest in Rogers is well documented.
The Gunners view him as a player who can add quality, versatility and goals to an already impressive attack.
Just a few months ago, it seemed they had a major advantage too.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Rogers was only interested in joining Arsenal at one stage and had little interest in a move to Chelsea.
That stance was reportedly influenced by Chelsea’s struggles on and off the pitch, with uncertainty surrounding their project making the Blues a far less attractive destination.
However, things have changed slightly.
Phillips claims the arrival of Xabi Alonso has helped convince Rogers to keep an open mind about Chelsea rather than dismissing them outright.
He said on the SPTC podcast: “Yeah, Chelsea are still trying to sign Rogers. He’s one of their key targets, and that’s been reiterated to me a few times now.
“Originally, he was not interested in Chelsea because of the poor end to the season we had, obviously missing out on Europe and various other situations, the manager situation was up in the air. So he was only set on joining Arsenal at that point.
“But then Alonso comes in. I’ve heard that him just coming in is helping to convince Rodgers to perhaps join Chelsea. So Chelsea’s still working on Rogers. They’re still speaking to him. He’s not turned down any moves to Chelsea. He’s keeping his options open.
“I believe that he will likely wait until the end of the World Cup or when England are out of the World Cup to make his decision. He’s got Arsenal interested. He’s got Manchester United interested and a host of other clubs. But I’ve also heard, to add to that, that United and Arsenal are both dithering on it at the moment. They’ve not yet followed up on their interest in Rogers.
“So, Chelsea are feeling that they’ve got a chance there to steam in ahead of them. If Arsenal decide that they want to come back in and go all out for him, then Chelsea, I don’t think, have much of a chance because he will choose Arsenal over Chelsea.
“But he’s not saying a direct no to Chelsea right now. They’re still in talks. I think it might be quite a bit now, as I said, but Chelsea’s still trying to get Morgan Rogers as their key target.”
If you were Andrea Berta, what is the maximum fee you would pay to sign Morgan Rogers for Arsenal?
Watch these goals and assists from Morgan Rogers. This is why Arsenal should sign him!
If Arsenal want Morgan Rogers, they should be able to get him despite Chelsea interest
From Arsenal’s perspective, there is no reason to panic.
Rogers may be keeping his options open, but there is still a huge difference between the Gunners and Chelsea right now.
Mikel Arteta’s side are Premier League champions, one of the best teams in world football and have shown they can compete for the biggest trophies in the game.
Chelsea, meanwhile, finished 10th last season, are not in the Champions League and remain a club searching for stability under their current ownership.
If Rogers is choosing purely based on football, Arsenal should be the obvious destination.
The only caveat is that Arsenal have to make their move. Chelsea are pushing hard, and if Berta and Arteta truly view Rogers as a priority target, they need to show it.
If they do, there is every reason to believe Arsenal will still come out on top.
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