BarryTheOctopus 🐙 retweetledi
Chelsea knew Arsenal were the main competition for Morgan Rogers - and the Premier League champions seemed to be in a great position to sign him. England team-mates Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were part of a charm offensive to convince Rogers to join. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard also spoke to Rogers, as well as Mikel Arteta.
But Villa and Arsenal were always some distance apart in terms of price. Arsenal had a clear valuation of Rogers: £80million. They were determined to stick to it, despite Villa’s insistence on attaining a record fee for a British player.
Rogers had other concerns. Whereas Chelsea had made it clear he was their main choice, Arsenal’s links with Julian Alvarez, Bradley Barcola and Eli Junior Kroupi over several weeks sowed a seed of doubt in the player’s camp despite Arsenal’s insistence he was their No 1 priority.
Rogers felt more love from Chelsea when they made their move.
For their part, Arsenal maintain that any deal for Rogers was always contingent on the right price point. When Chelsea made their move, Arsenal were contacted to see if they would be willing to match the £117million offer. They declined, choosing to focus on alternative targets.
@SJohnsonSport, @J_Tanswell and @gunnerblog go inside Chelsea’s deal for Rogers ⤵️
🔗 nyti.ms/4pvgTCV
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