Arsenal may have to pay a Premier League record fee to sign England’s World Cup star.
The World Cup is shining a spotlight on some of the best players in the world, and one of England’s brightest stars is being linked with a move to Arsenal—but it would come with a big price tag, possibly breaking British records.
England has plenty of attacking talent, with Thomas Tuchel mixing things up, from speedy wingers to clever players who can turn quickly on the ball. While England hasn’t fully clicked yet against tough defenses like Ghana and Panama, their stars have still shown flashes of brilliance that have caught the eye of top clubs.
Elliot Anderson impressed on the world stage, and Manchester City moved fast to secure a deal worth over £115 million. Meanwhile, FC Barcelona is keeping an eye on more English players, hoping to join Anthony Gordon with Harry Kane, even though they didn’t take the chance to sign Marcus Rashford permanently.
Now, Arsenal is aiming to bring Morgan Rogers to North London, but Aston Villa are holding out for a record fee. Arsenal already have English stars like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke in their team and want to add another homegrown attacker to their championship-winning squad.
Rogers had an amazing season at Aston Villa, racking up 26 goals and assists—the best creative record among Arsenal players this year. Reports say he’s top of manager Mikel Arteta’s summer wishlist. But since Villa has qualified for the Champions League, they want to keep their star or get a huge fee, putting a £130 million price on him.
The Telegraph reports that Villa sees Rogers as worth even more than the £125 million Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak. However, after a 20% sell-on clause to Middlesbrough, Villa would actually keep around £104 million from the sale.
Rogers himself recently said he wants to play for Arsenal but also admitted, “there’s no bigger club than United,” as Manchester United is showing interest too. It’s unclear if Arsenal, Manchester United, or even Chelsea (who are interested as well) can afford such a big transfer this summer.
Arsenal have also been interested in another English player, Alex Scott from Bournemouth, but the club has made it clear he’s not for sale.
For fans of the England team, seeing Arsenal build a strong core of English players would be exciting and could help create better harmony in the national squad.