Arsenal accelerate £100m Rogers pursuit and hold talks over £60m Bouaddi deal

Arsenal are pushing to sign Aston Villa playmaker Morgan Rogers in a deal expected to approach £100m, with the club confident of seeing off competition from Manchester United and Chelsea for the 23-year-old England international.

Rogers enjoyed a standout season at Villa Park last term, registering 14 goals and 12 assists as Unai Emery’s side won the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League. He is currently representing England at the World Cup in North America.

According to The Times, Arsenal are set to accelerate their pursuit of Rogers, with no formal contact yet made between the two clubs. Villa’s valuation is expected to near £100m, partly because the club must pay 20% of any sale profit to Rogers’s former club Middlesbrough. Villa could also point to Nottingham Forest’s £120m asking price for fellow England midfielder Elliot Anderson as justification for a higher fee.

Emery’s side have publicly insisted Rogers is not for sale and remains central to their plans ahead of a return to the Champions League. However, a bid significantly above £100m would likely be given serious consideration by Villa, who are themselves expected to need transfer income to fund their own summer business.

Mikel Arteta is said to value Rogers for his versatility, viewing him as capable of operating on the left or centrally within Arsenal’s system at the Emirates Stadium. The report adds that Arsenal do not anticipate difficulties agreeing personal terms with the player.

Separately, Arsenal have held internal discussions about a move for Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Lille midfielder who is one of the youngest players at this summer’s World Cup. Bouaddi made history in January when he became the youngest player to reach 50 Ligue 1 appearances, and has drawn attention from Real Madrid, PSG, and Chelsea alongside Arsenal following his performances in North America.

Primarily a midfielder, Bouaddi would offer Arteta additional depth in the engine room — an area Arsenal are actively targeting this summer — with the ability to play alongside Declan Rice or in a more advanced role. A fee of around £60m has been discussed in relation to the teenager.