Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a massive blow in their quest to sign Morgan Rogers as manager Thomas Frank and chairman Daniel Levy aim to recover from missing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, with a report revealing that Chelsea are likely to be the Aston Villa star’s next club and the player himself making his stance on his future abundantly clear.
Eze is on his way to Arsenal, who have agreed on a deal with Crystal Palace. Tottenham were confident of signing Eze this week, but after the injury suffered by Kai Havertz, Arsenal stepped up their pursuit of the attacking midfielder and quickly wrapped up a deal.
Tottenham are now back in the market for an attacking player, with Son Heung-min having left for Los Angeles FC earlier this summer and James Maddison suffering a long-term knee injury in pre-season.
Villa attacking midfielder Rogers is a player that Tottenham would love to sign, according to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, although the trusted journalist has made it clear that it is very unlikely that the north London club will be able to get a deal done.
Tottenham, though, remain keen, with The Independent reporting that Spurs have made Rogers ‘a priority target’ and have made ‘contact’ with intermediaries.
Villa have PSR issues, which is encouraging for Tottenham, but, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are more likely to be Rogers’s next club.
The reporter has added that if Villa were to sell Rogers, then they would demand a fee similar to what Liverpool paid for Florian Wirtz.
The defending Premier League champions paid Bayer Leverkusen a club-record fee of £116m (€134m, $157m) including add-ons, for the Germany international attacking midfielder.
Bailey told TBR: “They’ve denied any approaches, any knowledge of the situation.
“I’ve been told by people who know the Villa situation that even if there was a fire sale tomorrow, the last player out the door at Villa would be Morgan Rogers.
“He’s not going anywhere this month. Villa do know of interest from elsewhere, but my understanding is that if and when Rogers does leave Villa, the chances are very high it’s going to be Chelsea.
“We know about the Joel Shields relationship, etc. I’d be very surprised if his next club wasn’t Chelsea purely because of that relationship, and we know they like him.
“Arsenal always had an interest in him, but it was never that strong. And obviously, in terms of a fee, if you’re going to get Morgan Rogers, I think you’re looking at Florian Wirtz territory-type money.”
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What Morgan Rogers has said about his future
Rogers has been on the books of Villa since February 2024, when he joined from Middlesbrough.
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the best young players in the Premier League and has demonstrated his versatility by operating as an attacking midfielder, left-winger and right-winger.
Rogers has made 71 appearances for Villa so far in his career, scoring 17 goals and giving 17 assists in the process.
The England international is under contract at Villa until the summer of 2030, having signed an extension in November 2024.
Rogers won the PFA Young Player of the Year award this week and made it clear that he wants to stay at Villa.
The playmaker told The Times: “I’m happy here. I love football.
“I love nothing more than just coming out on the pitch and playing football and that’s what I’m doing. I don’t think about anything else.
“I can’t predict the next 12 months or anything in the future. It’s just about playing football, enjoying my football and showing everyone what I can do.”
Regarding winning the award, Rogers noted: “It means a lot, especially coming from the players that voted, playing against them.
“For them to acknowledge me as doing well this year, it hits different and it’s a different kind of feeling. It’s really nice. I’m so happy and so grateful that I managed to win this, and hopefully many more.
“Later down the line, I want to be one of them incredible players that people speak about, so to do that I’ve got to do what they did and what they followed after.
“It’s a nice recognition but there’s more to win, and I can’t wait. It’s my turn to show what I’m about, and I’m just looking forward to it.”
Rogers added: “The fact it’s happened quick has helped me. Everything’s just coming thick and fast and I’m trying to do what I can on the fly and just try and enjoy it and live in the moment.
“Maybe one day I’ll look back on it all and dissect it and how it came about, but right now I’m just living life, enjoying it and just taking every day and keeping a smile on my face and moving forward.
“It’s all happened so quickly and so fast, but I suppose that’s down to hard work and ambition which I’ve always had, and a dream and still trying to live that dream. It’s a really nice moment and I just want to keep going.”
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