Arsenal are set to accelerate their interest in Morgan Rogers after the Aston Villa star’s World Cup journey came to an abrupt end with England on Wednesday.
Rogers, Arsenal’s priority target throughout the summer window, started on the right wing for Thomas Tuchel’s side against Argentina in England’s semi-final clash, but the Three Lions were sent home from the tournament after some Lionel Messi magic inspired the reigning world champions to a 2-1 victory.
Arsenal have made no secret of their desire to sign Rogers since the start of the window, identifying the forward as an optimal solution to the left-hand side of Mikel Arteta’s attack following the departure of Leandro Trossard to Turkish club Besiktas.
Arteta sees Rogers as an attractive proposition who can provide ball-carrying qualities and an engine which will likely propel the Gunners to a Champions League triumph after narrowly losing out in May’s final to PSG.
The Premier League champions have been quiet in the transfer market since it opened back in June, with only former Leeds goalkeeper Ilian Meslier arriving on a free transfer. However, Greek winger Cristos Tzolis is set to join the club after a fee was agreed with Club Brugge somewhere in the region of €40m (£33m).
Villa, however, are demanding a fee similar to that of what Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City from Nottingham Forest for earlier in the window (£116m). Such an astronomical figure may prove a difficult hurdle to overcome given Arsenal’s reported pursuit of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is working around the clock to get deals done upon the conclusion of the World Cup, which will come to an end on Sunday night when Spain host Argentina.
If Rogers is to join Arsenal, that may free up Gabriel Martinelli to leave north London. While Arsenal are keen to keep the Brazilian winger, a fee in the region of £60m may be enough to test the Gunners’ resolve should a bid arrive in the coming weeks.
Arsenal begin their pre-season schedule on Monday, with many players who competed at the World Cup allowed extended time off to recover from the hectic football calendar, which has been running since August of last year.
