David Ornstein: Top Arsenal target agrees shock Chelsea move | OneFootball

Arsenal’s pursuit of Morgan Rogers appears to have come to an abrupt end after trusted journalist David Ornstein revealed Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with Aston Villa to sign the England international.

The Gunners have been heavily linked with Rogers throughout the summer transfer window, with reports suggesting Mikel Arteta viewed the versatile attacker as one of his priority attacking targets.

However, according to Ornstein, Chelsea have now won the race.

The Athletic correspondent reports that Chelsea have agreed a deal worth £117 million, with Aston Villa accepting the offer. Rogers is expected to sign a six-year contract, with the option of a further year, while a medical has reportedly been scheduled for Monday.

Ornstein also states that Arsenal were interested in the 23-year-old, but that Rogers’ preference was to join Chelsea, with Blues boss Xabi Alonso said to have played an instrumental role in convincing the England international.

Arsenal had made Rogers a leading summer target

The update comes as a major blow after Arsenal’s interest in Rogers intensified in recent days.

Just Arsenal recently reported that the Gunners were preparing to make an opening bid worth around £105 million after identifying the Aston Villa star as one of their leading attacking targets this summer.

It was also claimed that Rogers was prepared to reject interest from Tottenham Hotspur in favour of a move to the Emirates if an agreement could be reached.

Instead, if Ornstein’s report proves accurate, Chelsea have moved decisively to secure one of England’s brightest attacking talents before Arsenal were able to submit a formal offer.

At £117 million, the transfer would also become a record fee for an English player.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Attention may now turn elsewhere

Should the deal be completed, Arsenal’s recruitment team will almost certainly be forced to focus on alternative attacking options.

The Gunners have already agreed a deal to sign Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, while links with Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez have continued throughout the transfer window.

Missing out on Rogers would undoubtedly be disappointing given the length of Arsenal’s reported interest, but the summer window still has plenty of time remaining and Andrea Berta has already shown a willingness to move quickly when priority targets become unavailable.

If Chelsea do complete the signing, it will represent one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer and bring an end to one of Arsenal’s most closely followed pursuits.

What do you make of the latest update? Are you disappointed Arsenal appear set to miss out on Morgan Rogers, or do you think the Gunners should now focus on other attacking targets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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