Separate transfer move may have cost Arsenal in £117m Morgan Rogers switch to Chelsea
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Morgan Rogers, beating Arsenal in the race to sign the Aston Villa and England srae
Morgan Rogers has completed a £117m transfer to Chelsea. (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s move for Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa may have put them on the back foot in the transfer race for Morgan Rogers. The midfielder was a key target for the Gunners in the summer window, but they are left looking elsewhere with his £117 million move to Chelsea now confirmed.
The England international has signed a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge. The transfer fee is a new British record, eclipsing the £116 million that Manchester City paid for Elliot Anderson earlier in the window.
While Rogers was high on the wishlist for Arsenal, football.london understands that the Gunners were unwilling to pay the price that Chelsea did. In his first interview with Chelsea, the 23-year-old appeared to aim a dig at Arsenal.
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It seems that Arsenal may not have helped their cause with Villa in their bid to sign Rogers, with their move for defender Ezri Konsa.
The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse reports that Arsenal’s ‘low-balling’ for the centre-back could have annoyed Villa and made them less likely to want to do business with the club.
Just a matter of hours before Chelsea’s agreement with Villa for Rogers was reported, it was claimed that Arsenal were showing an interest in Konsa. The Gunners were said to be ready to submit a bid for the England international.
However, it was added that the two clubs remained far apart in their valuation. Villa are hoping that the defender will sign a new deal to remain at Villa Park.
It’s reported that Villa value Konsa at around £50 million, although it’s unclear what price Arsenal were willing to pay.
The interest in Konsa came amid a major injury worry over Arsenal’s influential defender William Saliba. The Frenchman was substituted during the nation’s World Cup semi-final defeat against Spain, and missed the third-place play-off vs England.
It has since been reported that the 25-year-old could be sidelined for months. If that’s correct, then Arsenal will likely turn to the transfer window in search of potential replacements and defensive reinforcements.
Delivering an update on the defender before the third-place play-off, France manager Didier Deschamps said: “William Saliba got injured and it’s problematic.
“He went through some examinations. The injury did not worsen. He faced that injury since March. He had some pain and unfortunately the pain was not bearable.”
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