Arsenal ‘fear’ £121m bid will destroy Rogers transfer as Chelsea are tipped to steal target | OneFootball

Arsenal are worried that Man City’s huge bid for Nottingham Forest will have a knock-on effect on their pursuit of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, according to reports.

The Gunners are looking to bring in new attacking players to the club in the summer with Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga and Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis among those linked.

Arsenal are ready to improve their squad once again after squad building over the last few years ended in a Premier League title at the end of the 2025/26 season.

There have been questions marks over the contributions of attacking players like Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard with one of that duo reportedly likely to leave.

Aston Villa attacking midfielder Rogers has emerged as one of their top targets to improve their forward positions with a report recently claiming the England international has selected Arsenal as his ‘preferred destination’.

A move for Rogers would be separate from any deal for Monga or Tzolis, as confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano last week.

He said on X: ‘Arsenal make initial approach for Christos Tzolis as potential new winger with contacts started on player/club side.

‘He’s among options considered but not only one, Jeremy Monga remains separate deal for future and advancing.

‘Rogers/Barcola & more remain top targets.’

But The Daily Telegraph are claiming that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United ‘fear’ that Man City’s huge £121m bid for Nottingham Forest’s Anderson could alter the whole market.

The report adds: ‘That has prompted fears among Premier League clubs that fees will be inflated in line with the valuation placed on Anderson, who is yet to play in the Champions League and has won eight England caps. Forest signed Anderson for a bargain £15m two years ago.

‘Anderson’s England team-mate Morgan Rogers is another player who could complete a big move this summer and clubs believe Aston Villa’s asking price for the forward could shoot up.

‘One industry insider told Telegraph Sport: ‘Anderson’s move is going to have a knock-on effect in terms of what clubs ask for their players. It could make the market more difficult.”‘

‘I would love to see Arsenal target at Chelsea’

Arsenal have also been credited with an interest in Newcastle United midfielder Tonali but former Chelsea star Roberto Di Matteo reckons the Blues should try and beat the Gunners to the Italian.

Di Matteo told Ladbrokes: “If Sandro Tonali is to leave Newcastle this summer… he’s someone I like a lot. I think he’s a class player. He’s a good age, too.

“I’m not sure whether Chelsea need another player in that particular department, I suppose it would depend if someone leaves. You know, they have Enzo [Fernandez], [Moises] Caicedo, Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia. If one of those was to leave, then maybe.

“I would love to see him at Chelsea. But, for me, their priorities this summer should be in other areas of the pitch.”

On Chelsea’s poor season, Di Matteo added: “It was an inconsistent season for Chelsea, which was certainly been disrupted by the managerial changes.

“But let’s not forget there have been a couple of big injuries, too; Cole Palmer missed a big chunk of the season, and I also think Levi Colwill was hard to replace. He’s an important player at the club, and he’d formed a good partnership with Trevor Chalobah.

“I would keep a lot of the players in this squad though, for sure. There are some very good players in there, so it’s not as if they need to go and completely revolutionise the team this summer.

“There’s a lot of quality there, I just think they need to add a bit of experience now. I know everybody has talked about it, but that’s what would help this team right now.

“Especially during the tricky times, because this is a very young group, and they’re learning very quickly that there are lots of ups and downs in a season… you just need three or four players in there who can steady the ship and drag the rest along in those difficult periods.

“These guys are a little bit vulnerable, and less experienced, which means they don’t know how to handle certain situations.

“I think the club has even acknowledged this, and suggested they might change their strategy next season. For me, that would be the right decision to make this summer.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it has to be proven Premier League players who are coming in, but seasoned international players, for sure.

“So it doesn’t need to be a Premier League player… they just need three or four players who can come in and navigate those difficult moments.”