Cole Palmer’s text messages to Morgan Rogers as Arsenal snubbed for £117m Chelsea reunion

Morgan Rogers is set to reunite with Cole Palmer at Chelsea after the Blues bid a record amount for the Aston Villa and England star

Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer will once again become team-mates at Chelsea this summer, with the duo already having a close relationship off the pitch. The Blues have agreed a club-record £117million deal with Aston Villa for the England international.

Rogers, 23, is poised to move to Stamford Bridge, despite being courted by Arsenal for most of the summer transfer window. football.london understands Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso was instrumental in landing the player who bagged 14 goals and 12 assists in 55 appearances last season.

Rogers and Palmer came through the ranks at Manchester City together. Despite going their separate ways, the pair have regularly kept in touch with Palmer even texting Rogers after games.

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Their friendship has partly been built on the fact both use the iconic ‘cold’ celebration when they score. Rogers used the recognisable celebration first in his Middlesbrough days upon scoring the winner against West Brom in December 2023.

Palmer then carried out his version after bagging a brace in a 3-2 win over Luton mere few days later. Afterwards, Palmer said: “My boy Morgz did one for Middlesbrough, so I told him I’d do it too if I scored.

“It symbolises joy, passion and hard determination for the game, plus it’s funny as it works well with my name. Everyone knows it’s my celebration. Lots of people might have done it, but everybody knows it is my celebration.”

Rogers isn’t convinced. He said: “He definitely copied me. It’s my celebration. Check the timeline, I did it first.” The pair still regularly joke about who pioneered the celebration, he added: “He’s one of my closest friends in life. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Speaking to Goal Global, Rogers elaborated on his friendship with Palmer and how the celebration helped the duo grow closer.

“Not the way I wanted it, but it’s nice,” Rogers said playfully. “It’s funny how such a light-hearted conversation we had has turned into this now, and every interview he gets asked about me, and I get asked about him.

“It’s funny how it’s come that way and come that far, but to the world it’s probably more his thing than mine. Even after every game, he’s the first person to text me, or he’ll text me if I’ve scored, knowing I’ll see it after the game. It’s nice to have someone, with him doing well, checking up on you and whatnot.”

There have been reports that Rogers is expected to sign a six-year contract to become a Chelsea player, with a deal also potentially including the option of a further 12 months.

The attacking midfielder is expected to undergo a medical imminently, after which a deal is expected to be completed. Should it all be signed off without a hitch, it would see Chelsea set a new club-record fee for a new signing, surpassing the £107million paid to Benfica to sign Enzo Fernandez in 2023.