Chelsea ready to make enormous Morgan Rogers transfer push with Aston Villa tipping point named – Exclusive | OneFootball

Chelsea are preparing a major summer push to sign Morgan Rogers, with TEAMtalk able to reveal that their interest remains strong regardless of whether Aston Villa secure Champions League football, although the deal would become significantly easier if they fall short.

Rogers joined Aston Villa in a February 2024, in a deal worth an initial £8m but rising to £15m (€17,5m, $20m) in add-ons. Since blossoming into one of the best playmakers in England, the 23-year-old has 51 G/A in 112 appearances for the Midlands side, becoming a central figure in their push for a top-five finish and the quest for silverware in the Europa League.

But as we exclusively first revealed in August 2025, Chelsea’s co-director of recruitment and talent, Joe Shields, is a long-time admirer of Rogers’ talents and is leading the Blues’ drive to bring the Villa star to Stamford Bridge.

Shields has a long-standing admiration for Rogers, having first identified his potential during their time at Manchester City, where he brought him in from West Bromwich Albion.

Heading into the summer window, TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea are indeed ready to accelerate their interest and formalise their pursuit. However, they are far from alone, with both Arsenal and Liverpool also tracking Rogers closely after his standout performances, though at this stage, their interest is not as advanced as Chelsea’s.

Furthermore, despite a plethora of options that fit into the attacking midfield/winger bracket for the Blues, Chelsea are adamant there is space within their attacking ranks to accommodate Rogers.

Summer arrival Jamie Gittens is still adapting and yet to make a major impact, while Alejandro Garnacho has not consistently hit top form — factors that strengthen the case for adding another dynamic forward option this summer.

Villa ready to demand huge club record fee for Morgan Rogers

A crucial factor in Rogers’ future, however, remains Villa’s league finish. Should Unai Emery’s side secure a top-five spot and qualify for the Champions League, their position in negotiations would be significantly strengthened.

But a failure to do so could open the door wider for Chelsea and their rivals to test Villa’s resolve.

Any deal, though, will not come cheap.

Sources have stressed to TEAMtalk that Villa would hold out for a new club record fee for Rogers, which currently sits at the £100m paid by Manchester City for Jack Grealish in summer 2021.

Having given Rogers a new deal in October, taking him through to June 2031, Villa are well protected over losing their star man for a cut-price fee; hence their expected record-breaking demands.

For now, Chelsea are positioning themselves firmly in the race – and as the summer approaches, their long-standing interest in Rogers is expected to turn into concrete action and give Villa a serious test in their desire to retain their star man’s services.

Chelsea could lose Enzo Fernandez; Leon Bailey feels Emery wrath

We also exclusively revealed this week that Chelsea are accelerating plans to sign a French youngster to beat off competition from Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

It’s also been reported that the Blues are going head-to-head with Man Utd for an electric Bundesliga star.

Any deal for the Argentine would likely see the Blues make a profit on the £106m they originally invested into his signing from Benfica.

Over at Villa, winger Leon Bailey appears to have taken one step closer to an exit from the club this summer after feeling the wrath of Unai Emery during Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Manchester United.