Morgan Rogers continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal following another impressive campaign with Aston Villa.
Andrea Berta has been warned that it could cost Arsenal as much as £100m to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his artillery.
football.london understands that the Gunners are interested in signing Rogers, whose contract at Villa Park doesn’t expire until June 2031. Eager to defend the Premier League title and avenge the heartbreaking defeat in the Champions League final, the Arsenal boss wants to get his hands on a new midfielder and full-back in the transfer window.
It will come at a price, though, so Andrea Berta will be expected to streamline the squad and raise funds from player sales. If the Gunners stand any chance of securing Rogers’ signature, they may need to offload a few big names.
Last season, up until the end of the year, Aston Villa were in the title race and only three points adrift of the eventual Premier League winners. The England international had played a key role in Unai Emery’s side, helping the Villans defeat Arsenal and Manchester City.
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Aston Villa later fell behind, but they were certainly in the picture despite a winless opening five games. For that reason, Alan Hutton believes the Gunners should pay a premium for signing the beating heart of a rival team.
“I mean, if Villa were to sell, the figure I would go with is £100m,” said the former Premier League defender. “For one, I don’t want to sell him. I mean, he’s a massive asset for them. “
He’s a massive part of what they do. He’s under contract, and Emery loves him. He can play in a number of positions, and for me, he’s the link from the midfield to the attack.”
Speaking to PariuriX, Hutton continued: “When you look at Tielemans, Kamara and these kinds of guys who bring the ball forward from defence and give it to the likes of Morgan Rogers, I always feel you need someone who can dribble.
“You need a ball carrier. Somebody that can get you up the pitch, whether he plays in a 10 or from the left. He’s always involved in everything that’s good, and he’s the guy that brings it all together for me.”
Further justifying the price tag, Hutton said: “People might say that £100million is a lot of money, and it is, but some of the, the kind of values that are getting bandied about at this moment in time is crazy.
“So I just feel for one of your top assets to be leaving when you don’t want them to leave, it needs to be on a massive amount because I believe under Unai Emery and where he’s taking this squad, what he’s trying to do and build, they’re only going to get better in my opinion.”
On the attraction of joining Arsenal, the former Aston Villa defender conceded: “Arsenal are a huge team that have won the league, and I do get the draw. Arteta, I think, is a fantastic manager as well, so I can see why his head might be turned for that reason, but it would have to be a huge figure to get him out of there.”
