Arsenal enlist Rice and England teammates to lure Rogers in £85m move

Arsenal are hoping that Declan Rice and their other England internationals can play a key role in convincing Morgan Rogers to join the Gunners this summer, with the Aston Villa playmaker identified as Mikel Arteta’s primary transfer target.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have enlisted their Three Lions contingent — including Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke — to work on Rogers during England’s World Cup campaign. Both Arsenal and Chelsea are said to be willing to negotiate a deal in the region of £85 million, though Villa have made clear the 23-year-old remains central to their plans ahead of their return to the Champions League.

Rogers is reportedly receptive to a move to north London and is keen to hear what the Premier League champions have to offer. Villa, however, face a complex negotiation: the club must comply with financial regulations, which may require them to sell players first, and they also owe Middlesbrough a 20 per cent sell-on fee from Rogers’ original move to Villa Park — a clause that significantly inflates the effective cost of any deal.

Arteta is said to be targeting four or five high-profile signings this summer as Arsenal look to mount a stronger Champions League challenge. Alongside Rogers, Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez is firmly on the Gunners’ radar, with sporting director Andrea Berta well acquainted with the Argentine striker having personally secured his signature at Atleti from Manchester City.

Arsenal have also been offered Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis, while Bristol City’s Alex Scott has emerged as another option for the club. To fund their summer business, the Gunners are expected to move on several first-team players, with Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli all linked with departures. The futures of Ethan Nwaneri, Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie are also said to be under review.