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Cameron Smith|<\/span>Digital Content Producer<\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n
Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Make us your Google favourite<\/span><\/p>\nFootball news expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on several major transfer stories, including the latest on Morgan Rogers, Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola.<\/p>\n
Article continues under the video<\/center> <\/p>\nArsenal lose race to sign Morgan Rogers<\/h2>\n Aston Villa superstar Morgan Rogers had looked set to join Arsenal this summer, but the deal has officially been hijacked by Chelsea and the England star will instead move to Stamford Bridge next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start with a story regarding Morgan Rogers, guys, because it is the biggest story of the day. It is an incredible story and a major hijack by Chelsea. I would describe it as a pre-hijack,\u201d Romano told his YouTube channel<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy? Because the situation surrounding Morgan Rogers has been clear for several weeks now. Since the end of May and the beginning of June, there have been several conversations as Arsenal began working on a deal for Morgan Rogers.<\/p>\n
\u201cArsenal were in very advanced talks with the player. There were several meetings between Arsenal and the player’s representatives, and the player himself was also involved in direct meetings. Arsenal were pushing hard on the contract, and the personal terms were never an issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorgan Rogers was open to the move. There were some tactical doubts from the player’s side, but never any financial concerns. The contract was always ready and was almost fully agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plan at Arsenal was that, after signing Christos Tzolis to replace Leandro Trossard, they would meet Aston Villa next week, once the player returned from the World Cup, and try to get a deal done for Morgan Rogers.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me tell you that Arsenal were never going to offer \u00a3117 million or \u00a3120 million. From Arsenal’s point of view, the realistic valuation of the player was around \u00a390 million to \u00a3100 million at the very maximum, and no more than that. However, they wanted to begin formal discussions from next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 IMAGO – Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nChelsea move quickly to complete Morgan Rogers deal<\/h2>\n Despite Arsenal\u2019s interest, Chelsea remained interested in the England attacker and they have struck a full agreement over a British record transfer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened over the last 24 hours is that Chelsea entered the deal in a very strong way. Chelsea held a direct meeting with Aston Villa, and it was a very clear meeting because they wanted to complete the deal immediately,\u201d Romano revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cChelsea arrived with the intention of signing the player, not simply starting negotiations. That is why I describe it as a pre-hijack, because they anticipated what Arsenal were preparing to do. Officially, Arsenal never submitted a bid, but they were going to. That is the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cChelsea were extremely aggressive. They were ready to pay \u00a3117 million, a huge fee for Morgan Rogers, and they also offered the player a six-year contract with an option for a further season. The financial package was higher than what Arsenal intended to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cChelsea also involved Xabi Alonso. Alonso personally called Morgan Rogers and was directly involved in conversations with the player. Chelsea moved incredibly quickly to complete every aspect of the deal and bring Morgan Rogers to the club. So, the deal is done. We can say that everything is now in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe player will be in London at the beginning of next week. From Monday, the process will begin with his medical tests and the signing of his contract. So, huge bomba – Chelsea have signed Morgan Rogers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 IMAGO – Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nAlejandro Garnacho to Aston Villa?<\/h2>\n With Rogers joining Chelsea, several players are expected to leave Stamford Bridge shortly, including wantaway forward Alejandro Garnacho.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me also mention that this situation could now have an impact on both the wingers’ market and the strikers’ market in several different ways. There is going to be movement involving a number of players, and there will definitely be consequences following this transfer,\u201d Romano confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you over the past few days that Aston Villa had been working on signing a new winger because they expected Morgan Rogers to leave, and that is exactly what has happened. They expected Arsenal to be the club that signed him, but Chelsea arrived and completed the deal within 24 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also important to mention that Aston Villa are still looking for wingers. For example, I am told that one of the discussion points during the meeting with Chelsea was Alejandro Garnacho. At the moment, however, Garnacho’s priority is to explore different opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, at this stage, Aston Villa’s interest in Garnacho is not yet something concrete, although his name was discussed during the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, Alejandro Garnacho has an offer from Roma in Italy, and Roma are pushing very hard to sign him. We now have to understand what happens with that situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 IMAGO – Alejandro Garnacho, Chelsea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nArsenal initiate contact with Yan Diomande<\/h2>\n Arsenal will be forced to pursue an alternative target ahead of the new season and Romano has revealed that Yan Diomande is the latest star to be added to their transfer wishlist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen, when we talk about the wingers’ market, we also have to see how Arsenal react, both in terms of wingers and strikers, because everything will depend on the opportunities that become available,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, over the last few days Arsenal made some checks with the agents of Yan Diomande, currently at RB Leipzig, to understand whether there was still a chance to enter the race for the player.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, do not forget that Diomande already has an agreement on personal terms with Paris Saint-Germain, and PSG remain in negotiations with RB Leipzig. Arsenal’s calls were simply to understand the situation and to gather information on what was happening in recent days.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 IMAGO – Jan Diomande, RB Leipzig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nJulian Alvarez remains on Arsenal shortlist<\/h2>\n While they are keen to sign a new winger after their failure to land Rogers, Arsenal also remain interested in finalising a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.<\/p>\n
\u201cArsenal continue to keep a very close eye on Juli\u00e1n Alvarez,\u201d Romano confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relationship between Barcelona and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid remains very tense, as I have been telling you for weeks. Obviously, if \u00c1lvarez cannot join Barcelona because Atl\u00e9tico do not want to sell the player to them, the situation could change later in the window.<\/p>\n
“Right now, Atl\u00e9tico are saying that they do not want to sell the player at all. However, if the relationship between Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez and the club were to break down, and if Atl\u00e9tico decided to sell him during August, Arsenal would remain very attentive to the situation.<\/p>\n
“So we have to keep a close eye on Arsenal because missing out on Morgan Rogers is a significant blow. That is the reality. He was the player they really wanted. He was their number one target, and they were pushing hard to complete the deal.<\/p>\n
“Instead, in a major surprise, he has joined Chelsea. There will certainly be consequences for Arsenal in the transfer market because this came as a genuine shock. They did not expect this to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 IMAGO – Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBradley Barcola latest<\/h2>\n With a deal for Rogers now off, Arsenal have been tipped to pursue PSG winger Bradley Barcola, but Romano has poured cold water on such links.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy understanding regarding Bradley Barcola is that Arsenal have not made any fresh checks in recent days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile they did make enquiries about Diomande, for example, they have not made any new approach for Barcola. So, at this stage, the conversation between Arsenal and Barcola remains quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiverpool, however, remain very attentive to the situation. Liverpool are still very keen on Barcola, and I stand by the information I have been reporting. Liverpool remain a concrete possibility, depending on the level of investment they are prepared to make, because PSG would demand a very significant transfer fee.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, it is important to say that Arsenal will now need to react in the market. We have to wait and see what the consequences of missing out on Morgan Rogers will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 IMAGO – Bradley Barcola, PSG<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nHow Chelsea beat Arsenal to Morgan Rogers<\/h2>\n Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was a driving force behind the Gunners\u2019 pursuit of Rogers, but they were ultimately unwilling to match Villa\u2019s asking price.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sure, it is a major shock. For sure, it is a huge surprise. Morgan Rogers was a player that Mikel Arteta especially wanted to bring to the club,\u201d Romano revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cArteta had been mentioning Morgan Rogers during internal meetings even before the end of last season. Around January, February and March, the player’s name was regularly discussed during Arsenal’s planning meetings, and he was considered a serious and concrete target for the Gunners.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cBack in May and June, Chelsea felt it would be impossible to enter the race because the player was fully committed to joining Arsenal. However, as time passed, Arsenal were not prepared to meet Aston Villa’s valuation. Week after week, Chelsea recognised that an opportunity was developing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey anticipated Arsenal’s planned bid, moved before any official offer could be submitted, and completed what I describe as a pre-hijack of the deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat timing proved decisive, allowing Chelsea to secure Morgan Rogers before Arsenal had the chance to formally begin negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related stories:<\/h2>\n Chelsea agree \u20ac138m Morgan Rogers deal – David Ornstein<\/b><\/p>\n
Transfer Rumours: Chelsea break the market as Micky van de Ven agreement expected<\/b><\/p>\n
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Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.
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