Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with Aston Villa to sign Morgan Rogers.
An offer worth £117 million (€137 million, $157 million) has been accepted, although a deal for the attacking midfielder is still being finalized, according to sources briefed on the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The personal terms are on a six-year contract until 2032, with an option to extend for a further 12 months, and a medical examination is scheduled for Monday.
23-year-old Rodgers wants to move to Chelsea as new manager Xabi Alonso and the club’s project are very popular.
Arsenal were also interested in a move for the England international, but he chose Chelsea as his preferred destination.
The expected deal would be a record transfer for Chelsea, surpassing the €121m (£106m, $131m at the time of deal) paid to Benfica for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the 2023 winter window.
Morgan Rogers creates the perfect linebacker
Athletic reported in June Rodgers is expected to leave Villa this summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea among his suitors.
Rodgers’ existing contract at Villa runs until 2030 after he signed new terms. in November 2024. The deal extended his previous contract by a year and brought his salary in line with his position in Unai Emery’s team.
He moved to Villa Park from Middlesbrough in February 2024 for an initial fee of £7 million plus a further £8 million in add-ons, and the Championship club also has a 20 per cent sell-on clause as part of the deal.
The former West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City academy player has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most prolific attacking midfielders over the past two seasons, scoring 31 goals and providing 29 assists in 125 appearances for Villa.
Rodgers scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions in the 2025/26 season as Villa qualified for the Champions League and won the Europa League.
He received his first England call-up in November 2024. and has appeared in all six of England’s World Cup games so far, starting with the final group stage match against Panama and the defeat to Argentina.
Rodgers, who scored England’s only goal in the semi-final with a cross for Anthony Gordon, will be with England in the US for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France.
Unique talent
Analysis by Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell
Athletic It was previously reported that Rodgers was expected to leave Aston Villa.
Chelsea have long been admirers of his, while Arsenal and a number of clubs, both in the Premier League and in Europe, are keeping a close eye on his situation.
Rodgers is a unique talent who can play in a variety of positions and has a ball-handling ability that continues to improve.
Villa were fully aware that they would likely lose Rodgers, but only for a fee in excess of £100 million. They are reinvesting some of that money by signing a striker whose targets include Ibrahim Mbaye and Crisencio Summerville, and have spent more than £50m on Johan Manzambi, who has a similar profile to Rodgers, and £35m on Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomez, who passed a medical on Friday.