Arsenal working hard behind the scenes to sign Morgan Rogers

One of Arsenal's most concrete attacking files of the summer window is gathering pace. According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are working hard behind the scenes to sign Aston Villa's English forward Morgan Rogers. Romano elaborated on his YouTube channel: "They made very good progress on the player's side, so Arsenal are working hard on a deal to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. They are in conversations; they are in negotiations. The deal is absolutely a concrete possibility."

The current state of the deal has also become clear. Personal terms are reported to have been agreed, though the club-to-club fee negotiation is still at an early stage. Aston Villa are reported to want £130 million for Rogers, while Arsenal are looking for a creative structure — additional clauses, a different payment plan — to negotiate that fee.

This file is directly linked to another transfer previously covered. David Ornstein has stated that the Christos Tzolis transfer proceeded entirely independently of Arsenal's interest in Rogers, but that the Englishman could still follow Tzolis to the Emirates this summer.

The player's performances and the competitive landscape further enrich the file. Having contributed 14 goals and 11 assists in 55 matches across all competitions last season, the 23-year-old is also reported to be of interest to Chelsea; however, Arsenal are said to be the clear favourites and the player most wanted by head coach Mikel Arteta. National teammate Declan Rice is also reported to be running a "charm offensive" to convince Rogers to join.

Source: Fabrizio Romano
Image: BBC Sport