Aston Villa are ready to make every effort to keep Morgan Rodgers despite strong transfer interest from Arsenal and rival clubs lined up for the English playmaker.
Morgan Rodgers has led Aston Villa (Image: Alex Livesey – AVFC/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
Aston Villa are joining Arsenal in trying to fend off interest in Morgan Rodgers.
Rodgers has just enjoyed his best season to date, finishing the season with a goal in his team’s Europa League final victory. Villa also scored 10 goals in 37 Premier League appearances, securing his place in England’s fourth place as a star player.
As a result, interest in Rodgers has increased, with many of Villa’s rivals keen to sign him, with Arsenal among them.
The Telegraph reports that Unai Emery’s side want to keep one of their star players at the club as they prepare for a return to the Champions League. But a big offer, even from a domestic rival, could prompt Villa Park’s hotshots to consider their next move. If Rodgers were to leave Villa, it would likely take a club-record fee for the Midlands outfit to agree to a sale.
Any potential move for Rodgers could be complicated financially by the fact that his former club Middlesbrough have a 20 per cent sell-on clause. Rodgers joined Villa from the Championship side in 2024 on a deal worth an initial £8m and up to £15m including add-ons.
Even during Emery’s most successful era in modern times, clubs still sold first-team players for huge sums. John Duran, Moussa Diaby, Douglas Lewis and Jacob Ramsey have all moved in recent years.
The Spaniard, who won his fifth Europa League title as manager, is as strong as ever during his tenure and will be looking to build on this season’s success. Emery is preparing for his second Champions League season with Villa and is looking to reach the last eight again in 2025.
Unai Emery will be desperate to keep his best players (Image: AVFC/Aston Villa FC, Getty Images)
Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke highlighted the Gunners’ summer plans last month, saying: “We know the team around us is going to get better, so we’re going to try to strengthen. If we’re not looking to continually evolve and improve, we’re standing still.”
Arsenal will be keen to strengthen their attacking options after Saturday’s defeat in the Champions League final exposed weaknesses in the final third. The Gunners already have a strong England squad, with Arteta’s side featuring Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.
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