Middlesbrough star Luke Ayling reacts to Morgan Rogers' move to Chelsea in just 4 words | OneFootball

Morgan Rogers has completed his £117m move to Chelsea from Aston Villa

Middlesbrough will be aiming to win promotion back to the Premier League next season after losing in the play-off final.

Boro lost 1-0 to Hull City courtesy of a late Oli McBurnie strike, consigning Kim Hellberg’s side to another year in the Championship.

The Teesside outfit haven’t competed in the top flight since 2017, but will have their sights set on fighting for a top eight finish in 2026/27.

So far this summer, the club have signed Kyle Joseph and Myles Peart-Harris, as well as completing a permanent move for loanee Jeremy Sarmiento.

But Hayden Hackney has also been sold, earning Middlesbrough a reported fee of at least £16 million.

Yet that isn’t the only major figure they’ve earned this summer, with the sale of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea also netting Boro £16 million in total due to a sell-on clause.

Luke Ayling reacts to Morgan Rogers’ move to Chelsea

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Chelsea have completed the signing of Rogers from Aston Villa in a deal worth £117 million following his impressive Premier League campaign, and appearances for England at the World Cup.

The forward has posted a message to fans on Instagram sharing his excitement about the move, along with pictures of him signing his contract with the London outfit.

“I am here,” he wrote.

“So happy to sign for Chelsea.

“IT’S GO TIME!!!”

Luke Ayling responded to the post congratulating the 23-year-old on completing the move to Stamford Bridge: “Congratulations fella. Some move!!!”

The defender joined Middlesbrough just a couple of weeks before Rogers departed the club for Aston Villa.

The duo featured together twice under Michael Carrick in a 3-1 win over Millwall and a 1-1 draw against Rotherham United.

Ayling made the switch from Leeds United to the Riverside, and continues to be an important part of the side with Hellberg now in charge.

Meanwhile, Rogers spent just half a season with Boro, joining in the summer of 2023 from Manchester City after a loan spell at Blackpool in the prior campaign.

The 23-year-old made a strong impression in a short span of time, contributing two goals and six assists from 26 appearances in the Championship.

Since leaving Boro, he has gone on to establish himself as a top Premier League star at Aston Villa, as well as become an England international.

Rogers contributed 21 goals and 17 assists under Unai Emery in the top flight, having made 85 appearances.

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Middlesbrough have done well with Morgan Rogers sell-on clause

While the £16 million Middlesbrough will receive is reportedly set to be paid in four installments, it’s still a great amount to earn for a player that left in January 2024.

The decision to negotiate that clause in the initial sale to Villa has proved a masterstroke, and it will be helpful to Boro in keeping up financially.

Given Rogers spent such a short amount of time at the Riverside, he really made a strong impact, as the club generated £12 million from his original move to Villa Park, meaning he earned the club a total of £28 million from 26 league appearances.

He will be fondly remembered by fans, which is an impressive feat given how little time he actually spent with the club.