Chelsea is planning a £110m double signing after Morgan Rogers’ move, with a second attempt to snatch a player from Arsenal in the works.
Chelsea is getting ready to make two big transfers worth £110 million after they set a new British record by signing Morgan Rogers, according to reports. Rogers joined Chelsea from Aston Villa on Tuesday, signing a six-year contract with an option for an extra year.
At 23, Rogers is now the most expensive British player ever, with his £117 million deal beating the £116 million Manchester City paid for Elliot Anderson earlier this summer. Arsenal planned to talk to Villa about Rogers this week but weren’t willing to offer more than £100 million. In the end, they pulled out after Chelsea’s offer was accepted on Saturday.
Chelsea might also pull off a surprise by signing Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who was linked with Arsenal. There have been mixed reports about Guimaraes’ future. Earlier this month, he reportedly told Newcastle he wanted to leave. Arsenal haven’t made direct contact yet and have upset Newcastle by trying to make a deal through middlemen, according to Sky Sports News.
Journalist Simon Phillips says this has given Chelsea a chance to step in with an offer for the £80 million-rated Guimaraes. The club has big plans to strengthen their midfield this summer under their new manager, Xabi Alonso.
The Telegraph reports Chelsea is also keen to boost their attack, focusing on Bayer Leverkusen’s young star Kerim Alajbegovic. The 18-year-old, who played for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, spent last season on loan at Red Bull Salzburg. He came up through Leverkusen’s youth academy, where Alonso used to coach. Alonso is excited about signing the forward, who is valued at around £30 million. Chelsea is currently the favorite, but Juventus, AC Milan, and Atalanta are also interested.
So far this summer, Chelsea has signed five players. Morgan Rogers is the most expensive at £117 million. Right-back Marco Palestra has joined from Atalanta for about £43 million; he can also play on the left side. Striker Emmanuel Emegha arrived from Strasbourg, and winger Geovany Quenda came from Sporting Lisbon. Also, striker Dastan Satpayev, who used to play for Kazakh club Kairat Almaty, will join Chelsea once he turns 18 in August.
On the other hand, Marc Cucurella left Chelsea to join Real Madrid. Everton also signed winger Tyrique George permanently after he spent the second half of last season on loan there.