Aston Villa will not let Morgan Rogers go to Arsenal for less than £130 million, according to The Telegraph, and the club believes he is worth more than England team-mate Elliot Anderson, who agreed a £116 million move to Manchester City.
The Mirror reported that Arsenal thought they were leading the race for the playmaker until they learned the price. Villa’s figure is higher than the British-record fee Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak last summer. Villa also owe 20 per cent of any fee to Middlesbrough, the club they signed him from.
The Anderson benchmark
The Manchester Evening News argued that City’s deal has already changed the market. Anderson’s fee is now the reference point for midfielders, it wrote, and clubs that do not want to sell their best players are using it to put off bidders. A number of UK outlets have written that Villa want £130 million from Arsenal because they rate Rogers above Anderson.
The £116 million is not a British record. It is £11 million more than Arsenal paid West Ham for Declan Rice three years ago, and the same as Liverpool spent on Florian Wirtz last year. Hugo Viana landed City’s main midfield target early, the paper said, without getting in the way of England’s World Cup plans. Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham are all looking for midfielders.
The paper suggested Arsenal could point out that Anderson is in the England team and Rogers is not, or cite last season’s numbers. It still called the situation a headache for Mikel Arteta and his recruitment staff.
The player’s view
Rogers has been told about the valuation. “I’m not sure that I’m worth all of that!” he said. “Of course it’s nice to hear that, but I don’t let outside noise dictate me.” He made his first World Cup start for England in the Group L win over Panama and has 18 caps. England were preparing for a Round of 16 game against Mexico.
His club numbers are strong: 60 goal involvements in 125 games for Villa, and a Europa League title last season, his best so far.
Arsenal look elsewhere
The Mirror said Arsenal could be priced out and have started to look at alternatives. One name is PSG winger Bradley Barcola, who was part of the side that beat Arsenal in the Champions League final. The BBC reported that Arsenal would watch him when France played Sweden in the World Cup knockout stage. His future may depend on whether PSG sign RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande. If PSG listen to offers, Arsenal would be keen, the Mirror said, and so would Liverpool, who want a replacement for Mohamed Salah after he left Anfield.
Arsenal won the league last season for the first time in 22 years. Arteta has said the club has decisions ahead: “We’re going to have to show that ambition because they are more than capable of doing it but it’s going to demand us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
Sources
- Arsenal identify new transfer target after receiving £130m Morgan Rogers demand
- Rogers gives honest opinion on £130M price tag: I'm not sure that I'm worth all of that
- Early Hugo Viana City move has given Arsenal a transfer headache
