Arsenal turn to PSG's Barcola after Aston Villa demand £130m for Morgan Rogers

Arsenal are monitoring PSG winger Bradley Barcola as an alternative to Morgan Rogers after Aston Villa placed a £130million price tag on the England midfielder — a figure that would exceed the British-record fee Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak last summer.

The Gunners had considered themselves frontrunners for Rogers, but Villa’s valuation has forced the club to look elsewhere. Arsenal scouts are expected to watch Barcola when he features for France in their World Cup knockout tie against Sweden on Tuesday night, according to the BBC.

Barcola, 23, was part of the PSG side that defeated Arsenal in the Champions League final, but his future at the Parc des Princes is uncertain. PSG are pursuing RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, and if the Ivorian arrives, Barcola could find himself further down the pecking order — potentially opening the door for a summer exit. Liverpool are also tracking the Frenchman as they seek a replacement for Mohamed Salah, who has departed Anfield.

Villa are determined to hold on to Rogers, who starred in their Europa League-winning campaign, and are under no pressure to sell. The club are also aware that any fee would require them to hand 20 per cent to Middlesbrough, from whom Rogers was signed, making their £130m demand even more significant in real terms.

Villa’s valuation has been shaped in part by the wider market shift following Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Manchester City — a deal that prompted several Premier League clubs to reassess the worth of their key assets. Villa believe Rogers represents greater value than Anderson.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made clear the club intend to invest heavily after winning the Premier League title last season. “We’ll start to make some very important decisions, we want to reach another level,” Arteta said. “We’re going to have to show that ambition because they are more than capable of doing it but it’s going to demand us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”