Arsenal weighing seven players as makeweights in pursuit of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers

Arsenal are prepared to offer players as part of a deal to sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers this summer, with Mikel Arteta reportedly making the 23-year-old one of his top transfer targets after guiding the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 22 years.

Rogers, who joined Villa from Middlesbrough in February 2024 and signed a contract extension running until 2031 midway through last season, contributed 14 goals and 12 assists across all competitions in 2024/25. Villa manager Unai Emery is unlikely to sanction a sale without guarantees that his squad can be adequately reinforced, making a part-exchange arrangement one plausible route to a deal.

Paris Saint-Germain are also understood to be monitoring Rogers, adding a competitive dimension to Arsenal’s pursuit and increasing the pressure on the Gunners to move decisively.

Among the Arsenal players who could feature in negotiations, Gabriel Martinelli has been widely discussed as a potential departure. The Brazilian winger, 24, made more than 50 appearances for Arsenal this season but averaged just 45 minutes per game. He started only one of the club’s final six league fixtures and was named among the substitutes for the Champions League final and the second leg of the semi-final against Atlético Madrid — a pattern that suggests his standing in Arteta’s hierarchy has slipped.

For Villa, Martinelli’s age, versatility across the front line, and experience in high-stakes European football would represent a meaningful addition. Emery demonstrated a willingness to use wide attackers creatively during the 2024/25 run-in, getting strong returns from loanee Marcus Rashford in a similar role.

Ethan Nwaneri is another name in the frame. The academy graduate spent the second half of the season on loan at Marseille, but a managerial change at the Stade Vélodrome curtailed his opportunities and the spell did not deliver the breakthrough Arsenal had hoped for. Because Nwaneri is a club-developed player, any transfer fee received would count as near-pure profit under accounting rules — a factor that could influence Arsenal’s decision-making depending on how their broader summer business unfolds.

Villa are familiar with the model of acquiring players released by top-six clubs at below-market value; Rogers himself arrived via that route before developing into one of the Premier League’s most productive attacking midfielders. Emery’s side will be acutely aware of how difficult those numbers will be to replace, and are expected to drive a hard bargain regardless of the structure of any offer Arsenal ultimately table.