CHELSEA have made Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers their top target for the remainder of the transfer window.
Villa boss Unai Emery is also keen on being reunited with Blues striker Nicolas Jackson after working with him at Villarreal.
Attacking midfielder Rogers is on Chelsea’s wishlistGetty
Rogers has bagged two goals against the BluesAFP
Meanwhile, Chelsea striker Jackson (right) could be going the other way and reunite with his former boss EmeryGetty
New world champions Chelsea have already spent more than £130million on adding Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens to their array of forward options.
But they are ready to push the boat out to bring in England star Rogers, who is valued at £80m or more.
A partial-swap deal involving Jackson is NOT on the cards because financial rules make separate transfers more attractive.
Villa would love to find a way to stay within Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules and Uefa regulations without selling Rogers at all.
But if the Midlanders are unable to bring in decent fees for other bankable stars like Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and Leon Bailey, they could be forced to cash in on their prime asset.
Rogers, 22, cost only £15m when he joined the club from Middlesbrough in February 2024.
But his value has skyrocketed after he emerged as one of England’s brightest young talents.
Rogers scored eight goals and provided 11 assists last season in the Premier League, starred in Villa’s thrilling Champions League campaign and won his first four senior England caps.
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It is claimed that a Villa bid for Jackson would trigger an immediate formal offer from Chelsea for Rogers.
But sources indicate that the saga is more likely to continue into August as both clubs juggle their money.
Chelsea and Villa were fined by Uefa earlier this month for breaching financial rules.
Chelsea’s punishment also included restrictions on registering new players for their squad for next season’s Champions League unless they could balance their transfer books.
The Blues need to make significant sales in order to be allowed to field Pedro, Delap, Gittens and other arrivals – let alone further signings.
But Villa are arguably under greater pressure to raise big money in order to avoid breaching Premier League rules and incurring further fines from Uefa.
The failure to qualify for the Champions League will hit their 2025/6 income hard.
Villa are yet to make a major signing and if they want to reinforce their squad in other areas, they may have to sell Rogers – and perhaps reinvest some of the proceeds in Jackson.
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