Chelsea reach verbal agreement for £117m Morgan Rogers transfer

Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with Aston Villa to sign Morgan Rogers.

⁠A bid of £117million (€137m, $157m) has been accepted, although the deal for the attacking midfielder is still being finalised, according to sources briefed on the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

⁠Personal terms are in place on a six-year contract through to 2032 with the option of a further 12 months, and a medical is scheduled for Monday.

⁠Rogers, 23, wants to move to Chelsea, with new manager Xabi Alonso and the club’s project a major appeal.

Arsenal were also interested in a move for the England international, but he has chosen Chelsea as his preferred destination.

The anticipated deal would represent a record transfer for Chelsea, surpassing the €121m (£106m, $131m at time of the deal) paid to Benfica for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the 2023 winter window.

It would also eclipse the British record fee of £116m agreed by Manchester City with Nottingham Forest for the signing of England midfielder Elliot Anderson this summer.

The Athletic reported in June that there is an expectation Rogers will leave Villa this summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea among his admirers.

Rogers’ existing Villa contract runs until 2030, after he signed fresh terms in November 2024. That deal added a year to his previous contract and brought his salary more in line with his standing in Unai Emery’s squad.

He moved to Villa Park from Middlesbrough in February 2024 for an initial fee of £7m plus a further £8m in add-ons, and the Championship club also has a 20 per cent sell-on clause as part of that deal.

The former West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City academy player has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most in-form attacking midfielders over the past two seasons, scoring 31 goals and adding 29 assists in 125 appearances for Villa.

Rogers provided 14 goals and 12 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions during the 2025-26 campaign as Villa qualified for the Champions League and won the Europa League.

He received his first senior England call-up in November 2024 and has featured in all six of his country’s games at the World Cup so far, starting the final group-stage match against Panama and the defeat to Argentina.

Rogers, who set up England’s only goal of the semi-final with a cross for Anthony Gordon, is with the England squad in the U.S. for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France.

A unique talent

Analysis from Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell

The Athletic previously reported that there was an expectation Rogers would leave Aston Villa.

Chelsea have been long-standing admirers, with Arsenal and a number of clubs, both in the Premier League and in Europe, closely following his situation.

Rogers is a unique talent, able to play in multiple positions and with a ball-carrying ability that continues to be refined.

Villa were fully aware they would likely lose Rogers, but only for a fee that exceeded £100m.

They will reinvest some of that money by signing a winger, with Ibrahim Mbaye and Crysencio Summerville among the targets, and have spent in excess of £50m for Johan Manzambi, who is a similar profile to Rogers, and £35m for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, Joao Gomes, who underwent his medical on Friday.