Aston Villa concern as Chelsea ‘work against the clock’ to nab key man from Unai Emery
Aston Villa were fairly busy in the winter window in both the incomings and outgoings departments.
Unai Emery’s side was one of the bigger spenders over the last month, with the Birmingham-based club forking out the fourth-biggest outlay.
Amid those moves, Tammy Abraham returned to Aston Villa, and Douglas Luiz followed in having a second stint at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, Donyell Malen went the other way, with the Dutch forward joining AS Roma on loan.
Overall, it was a decent window for the club, but there could now be fears about losing a key player in the summer.
Chelsea leading race for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers has been exceptional for Aston Villa since signing back in 2024.
His performances for the club make it no surprise that the player has been attracting interest, with Manchester United looking to sign Rogers.
Additionally, David Ornstein has confirmed clubs will move for Rogers in the summer.
However, the Villans could now see themselves in the middle of a tense transfer battle, as it looks like another Premier League club is in the driving seat after Manchester United.
According to Fichajes, Chelsea are firmly in the hunt to sign Rogers in the summer, and have “taken the lead over direct competitors”.
The report says that the London club are “working against the clock” as they prepare to make a move for the 23-year-old.
Additionally, it has been stated that Chelsea’s project is “more appealing to the English player’s circle.”
Aston Villa must ensure a Jack Grealish-level fee for Rogers
Priority number one should be to keep Rogers at Villa Park for the foreseeable future, but if big money is being floated about to sign him, it could be hard to reject.
In that event, it is clear what level of fee should be sought, and anything less than what Aston Villa received for Jack Grealish should be instantly rebuffed.
Rogers has also recently signed a new deal keeping him at Villa until 2031.
Rogers is one of the best in the Premier League at the moment, and with the player being in high demand, Villa certainly have all of the leverage in this case.
Unless Rogers tries to force through a move, a transfer should only be sanctioned in the most extreme circumstances, including a mammoth fee over £100million.
Finishing in the Champions League places this season could also go a long way in keeping Rogers happy at the club in the summer.