Chelsea agreed a club record £117 million deal to sign England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.
The 23-year-old will sign a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge with the option of a further year.
Rodgers will undergo a medical on Monday after returning from England’s 2026 World Cup squad.
The deal will set a new transfer record for an English player, surpassing the £116 million fee Manchester City agreed with Nottingham Forest for another Three Lions midfielder in Elliot Anderson earlier this summer.
Rodgers becomes the most expensive signing in Chelsea’s history, surpassing the £107 million spent on Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in 2023.
The move comes as new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso builds his squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
Rodgers, who was previously on the books of Manchester City, joined Villa from Middlesbrough in February 2024 in a deal worth £8 million, rising to £15 million.
With a clause giving Middlesbrough 20% of any profits Villa make from selling Rodgers in the future, the Championship club will earn at least £20.4 million from his move to Chelsea, depending on how many extras are activated at Villa Park.
Boro believe this is also an English record for the highest transfer commission ever.
Rodgers scored 21 goals in 85 league appearances for Unai Emery’s men and was part of the team that won the Europa League last season.
He made 22 caps for England, scoring once and featuring in seven games at this summer’s World Cup.
Rodgers is the second Villa midfielder to leave this week following Youri Tielemans’ £35m move to Manchester United, but they brought in Swiss international Johan Manzambi in a deal worth over £50m from Freiburg and signed Wolves’ Joao Gomes for £38m.