Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers closes in on £117m British record move to Chelsea

Villa’s Morgan Rogers is closing in on a British record £117million transfer to Chelsea.

The Blues have made the move to secure Rogers’ signature ahead of London rivals Arsenal, who have courted the attacker for some time and made him their No.1 target this summer.

Former Albion youngster Rogers, who is still away with England at the World Cup, is set for a medical on Monday ahead of the eye-catching deal after Villa accepted the proposal.

It a British record - notably £1m more than the fee Three Lions colleague Elliot Anderson moved from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City earlier in the window.

New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso is said to have been key to the deal from Halesowen-born Rogers’ perspective.

The attacker is set to sign a six-year contract with the option of a further 12 months at Chelsea, who did not qualify for European football this season. Personal terms with the Blues are a formality.

The 23-year-old’s sale comes after Villa completed a club-record £52m deal for Switzerland talent Johan Manzambi last week.

A £35m transfer for Joao Gomes from Wolves is also in the works and Villa are in talks over a move for Joao Palhinha.

Rogers’ former club Middlesbrough are set to pocket a sizeable windfall from a 20 per cent sell-on clause inserted when Rogers moved from the north east for an initial £8m in January 2024.

Rogers made 125 appearances in all competitions for Villa in two-and-a-half seasons, scoring 31 goals.

New City midfielder Anderson’s £116m move was previously the joint-fifth highest transfer fee in history, putting Rogers inside the top five.