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Arsenal were hit by a \u201cbig surprise\u201d when Chelsea swooped to hijack their potential deal for Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers, according to Fabrizio Romano.<\/p>\n
The Gunners seemed to be leading the race to sign the England international throughout the summer with speculation that they had agreed personal terms.<\/p>\n
After closing in on a deal for Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, Arsenal<\/strong> also wanted Rogers as someone who could play anywhere across the frontline or behind the striker.<\/p>\n Chelsea swooped over the weekend by agreeing to pay \u00a3117m for Rogers<\/strong>who has signed a six-year contract, with Arsenal losing out as they were keen to negotiate the fee, maybe for a maximum of \u00a3100m.<\/p>\n Romano said on his YouTube channel: \u201cThe next 24 hours are going to be the 24 hours of Morgan Rogers as a new Chelsea player.<\/p>\n \u201cThe deal is completed and will be signed on Monday, but everything is done. Chelsea and Aston Villa have already started exchanging all the documents.<\/p>\n READ: Romano reveals whether Arsenal will now threaten Liverpool for Bradley Barcola after Morgan Rogers \u2018shock\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAston Villa believe it\u2019s excellent business, while Chelsea believe they have added a fantastic player to the squad.<\/p>\n \u201cMorgan Rogers will sign a six-year contract with the option of a further season.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Arsenal, it\u2019s a big surprise because they now have to react on the market. Mikel Arteta had direct conversations with Morgan Rogers over the last few months and the player was a serious target.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Arsenal were always hoping to negotiate the price with Aston Villa.<\/p>\n \u201cI can guarantee Arsenal\u2019s intention was to bid around \u00a390m, maybe a maximum of \u00a3100m, but never \u00a3117m.<\/p>\n \u201cChelsea decided to go all in immediately and the only way to avoid an Arsenal counter-hijack was to complete the deal within 24 hours, and that\u2019s exactly what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n Arsenal have now made \u201cenquiries\u201d for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande<\/strong> as they pivot to other targets and Romano has brought the latest on the race for the Ivorian.<\/p>\n READ: Tuchel makes stunning admission about Saka after England win v France \u2013 \u2018I was not even aware\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Romano added: \u201cKeep a close eye on Yan Diomande. Paris Saint-Germain already have a verbal agreement on contract terms with the player. But they still don\u2019t have an agreement with RB Leipzig.<\/p>\n \u201cThe relationship between the clubs is very good after the Xavi Simons deal and other business together, but they still need to find a financial agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you can have an agreement with the player but not with the club. It\u2019s happened with Arsenal and Morgan Rogers. Personal terms were never the problem, but Chelsea arrived and completed the deal.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Diomande, PSG have had an agreement with the player for three or four weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s on Paris Saint-Germain to complete the agreement with Leipzig.<\/p>\n \u201cThey remain the clear favourites, but I\u2019m told more clubs are calling every day to see whether they can enter the race.<\/p>\n \u201cArsenal have done that in recent days and there are other clubs making enquiries behind the scenes. So now it\u2019s up to PSG to finish the job.\u201d<\/p>\n READ NEXT: Arsenal make \u2018mega bid\u2019 for Premier League star with Rice \u2018pulling the strings\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\n