Chelsea sharpen attack: Morgan Rogers becomes most expensive Englishman ever

It has been a summer of record-breaking transfers for English footballers.

After Elliot Anderson became the most expensive English player in history following his £116 million (€135 million) move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, that record is already set to be broken.

Morgan Rogers (23) is on the verge of joining Chelsea after Aston Villa accepted a £117 million (€137.6 million) offer for the England international attacker.

Arsenal had also been monitoring Rogers closely and explored the possibility of signing him in recent days. However, the Gunners never submitted a formal bid as they focused their efforts on securing Christos Colis from Club Brugge. Chelsea, on the other hand, moved swiftly to get the deal done.

The Blues have already agreed personal terms with Rogers on a contract running until 2032, with an option for an additional year. His medical is scheduled for Monday.

Rogers is eager to complete the move, largely because of the role envisioned for him by new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, who reportedly sees him as one of the team's key attacking players alongside Cole Palmer.

The transfer will become Chelsea's most expensive signing ever, surpassing the €121 million the club paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez. It will also rank as the second-most expensive transfer in Premier League history, behind only Alexander Isak's €145 million move from Newcastle United to Liverpool last summer.

Born and raised near Birmingham, Rogers began his football journey in West Bromwich Albion's academy before Manchester City signed him at the age of 17.

Unable to break into Pep Guardiola's first team, he gained experience during loan spells with Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool before Middlesbrough signed him permanently for €1.2 million.

Just six months later, Middlesbrough sold him to Aston Villa for €9.4 million plus bonuses, with Manchester City retaining a 25% sell-on clause. Middlesbrough also negotiated a 20% share of Villa's future profit on Rogers' sale—a clause that will now earn the Championship club around €25 million.

Rogers quickly established himself as one of Aston Villa's standout performers and became an indispensable player under Unai Emery. Within six months of arriving at Villa Park, he had progressed from England's youth teams to making his senior international debut.

Capable of playing across several attacking positions, Rogers impressed with his pace, direct style of play and long-range shooting. After scoring 10 Premier League goals last season, it became increasingly clear that Villa would struggle to keep hold of him this summer.

Despite offering him a new contract and improved wages, the club was unable to fend off interest. Rogers also enhanced his reputation with strong performances at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, further increasing interest from Europe's elite.

Although Arsenal seriously considered making a move, Chelsea completed the deal in rapid fashion.

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Villa had promised the player they would let him leave if an offer of £100 million arrived, and in the end they received an even better proposal than expected.

The Midlands club have already signed Johan Manzambi from Freiburg in a deal worth around €70 million, with the Swiss youngster expected to help fill the void left by Rogers. Villa are also planning to recruit another winger, with Ibrahim Mbaye of Paris Saint-Germain and Crysencio Summerville of Leeds United among their primary targets.

Roma have also entered the race for Summerville after submitting a €46 million offer earlier today.

Rogers is expected to be officially unveiled at Stamford Bridge in the middle of next week, where he is likely to form an exciting attacking quartet alongside Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer.