Morgan Rogers: Arsenal face three-way fight to sign Aston Villa star as Chelsea to 'renew interest' | OneFootball

Gunners hope to bolster forward options with free-scoring Villan but face stiff competition

His performances in 2024-25, where he scored 14 and assisted 16 goals in 54 appearances as Villa qualified for the Europa League, saw him garner transfer interest from a variety of Big Six sides.

The London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea both held an interest last summer, as reported by Standard Sport, but Villa fought tooth and nail to keep him in Birmingham.

They succeeded in convincing Rogers to stay, and he signed a new six-year contract in November, tying him to the club through summer 2031.

Crucially, though, his new deal is not thought to contain a release clause, opening the door to a bidding war this summer.

Per a report in The Times, both Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to renew their interest in Rogers this summer, though they will also face competition from Manchester United.

Morgan Rogers is a long-time friend of Chelsea star Cole Palmer

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Chelsea are facing the possibility of Enzo Fernandez pushing for a move away from the club this summer and could look to reunite Rogers with his good friend Cole Palmer as a replacement.

Arsenal, meanwhile, may look to bolster their forward options with the likes of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli struggling for form. They may have money to burn, too, with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri both tipped to go in the shop window this summer.

United, meanwhile, will need to bolster their ranks ahead of a likely return to European competition.

Villa are expected to be open to a sale, The Times add, as they look to avoid a PSR breach. The Villans will not keep the full proceeds of the sale, though, as they agreed a 20 per cent sell-on clause on signing him from Middlesbrough for £15m in 2024.

Speaking last season, Rogers said he was an admirer of Mikel Arteta’s football, which he sees as stylistically similar to Unai Emery’s.

“Him (Emery) and Pep [Guardiola] are kind of similar in a way,” Rogers told TNT Sports.

“In terms of the way they structure their teams, in terms of the way that they’re so demanding of you, structurally and tactically.

“But obviously working closer with Unai Emery than I did obviously with Pep, we’ve got that relationship where it's like a love-hate kind of thing.

“He wants the best of me. He’s going to be demanding. He’s going to be on top of me non-stop throughout the week, because he knows my capabilities.

“He knows what I can do. He wants to push me, wants to improve me and that’s the best way for me. With me and him, it’s perfect.”