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Chelsea told they can’t sign Morgan Rogers for two key reasons by Aston Villa icon
Layton Ryan-Parson
4 – 5 minutes
Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor has strictly announced Morgan Rogers is not for sale, despite his reported £100million price tag.
It comes amid reported interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea ahead of the summer transfer window, with Rogers’ flying form in domestic and European football making big clubs take notice.
Rogers has impressed on the biggest stage this season, earning a man of the match award in the Champions League against Club Brugge
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Rogers has impressed on the biggest stage this season, earning a man of the match award in the Champions League against Club BruggeCredit: Getty
Rogers has hugely impressed during his first full season at Villa Park, netting 14 times and assisting 13 goals this season.
The 22-year-old’s array of excellent performances earned him a senior England debut under Thomas Tuchel in November 2024, where he put in performances that led to comparisons with Wayne Rooney.
He has also been a reliable asset for Villa this season, playing 4,143 minutes across 50 matches and only missing one game in the Premier League this campaign due to a yellow card suspension.
Rogers has been one of the biggest bargain signings in recent transfer windows and has proven to be worth far more than his initial transfer fee of £8m [£15m with add-ons] that Middlesbrough pocketed in February 2024.
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But with UEFA’s PSR restrictions looming above Villa’s head, the club know they must raise funds through player sales.
According to reports, Rogers would fetch the highest fee out of the Villa squad and he has been linked with a £100m move to Chelsea who have consistently bought young talent.
But Villa icon Agbonlahor insists their star man is going nowhere – and talkSPORT understands it’s a sentiment backed up by Villa’s hierarchy.
“When people start talking about Morgan Rogers, there’s some players that you just don’t sell,” Gabby told talkSPORT Breakfast.
“Aston Villa had to make a decision last summer. They didn’t want to sell Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, but sacrificed them.
“Out of the squad of players Unai Emery has got now, there’ll be players they will say, ‘Nope, not selling’. [Emi] Martinez, [Ezri] Konsa, Rogers… nope.
Rogers has enjoyed a stunning first full season at Aston Villa… but now the Premier League big boys are looking at him
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Rogers has enjoyed a stunning first full season at Aston Villa… but now the Premier League big boys are looking at himCredit: Getty
Agbonlahor insists there’s no way Villa can sell Rogers this summer
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Agbonlahor insists there’s no way Villa can sell Rogers this summerCredit: talkSPORT
“Other players maybe they’ll say, ‘We’ll sacrifice’, but definitely not Morgan Rogers.
“What would Morgan Rogers cost now? £100m as a starter, then talk about add-ons.
“So I don’t think Chelsea, with their PSR problems as well, will be able to afford that.”
Following the expensive acquisitions of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Wesley Fofana and many more, the Blues landed themselves on thin ice with UEFA.
But Chelsea were recently accused of ‘finding gaps’ in PSR to avoid suffering a breach.
The Blues sold their women’s team to themselves last year and then reported a £128.4m profit.
Rogers shares the celebration with close friend Cole Palmer
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Rogers shares the celebration with close friend Cole PalmerCredit: Getty
Palmer has admitted he took the celebration from his good mate Rogers… but has since tried to legally trademark it for himself
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Palmer has admitted he took the celebration from his good mate Rogers… but has since tried to legally trademark it for himselfCredit: Getty
However, Rogers may find the prospect of joining his friend Cole Palmer at Chelsea a tempting one, despite their ongoing banter over their shared ‘cold’ celebration.
Rogers has opened up on his close friendly with former Man City academy teammate Palmer, and insisted he came up with the ‘shiver’ pose first.
The Villa star said: “He definitely copied me. It’s my celebration. Check the timeline, I did it first.
“He [Palmer] is one of my closest friends in life. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s showing everyone what I knew he could do two or three years ago.”
Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans react to Ezri Konsa’s message to Aston Villa fans
Ezri Konsa’s motivated message to Aston Villa supporters has earned numerous reactions from teammates after their Champions League loss.
Aston Villa’s hopes of European glory suffered a major setback following their 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on 9 April.
Morgan Rogers continued his impressive form for Unai Emery’s side by opening the scoring against the run of play, offering Villa a brief moment of hope.
However, 19-year-old Desire Doue quickly scored an equaliser for the French champions before Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes added two second-half goals to secure the win for PSG.
Konsa started the match alongside Pau Torres, who had only just returned from injury this month, but the pair struggled to contain a relentless PSG frontline led by Ousmane Dembele.
Despite the disappointing result, the 27-year-old defender made sure to send a message of gratitude and encouragement to the travelling supporters, reminding fans that the tie isn’t over yet.
Ezri Konsa shows importance to Unai Emery amid Ousmane Diomande links
The centre-back posted a series of photos from the match on Instagram with the caption: “We still believe.”
The post drew plenty of reactions from teammates and players, with Rogers, Emi Martinez, and Dominic Solanke among those showing support.
Youri Tielemans, who provided the assist for Rogers’ goal on the night, echoed Konsa’s message in the comments, replying: “We do.”
Konsa has been a key figure for Aston Villa this season, making 41 appearances across all competitions. However, that hasn’t stopped the club from exploring defensive reinforcements for the summer.
Football Insider revealed that Aston Villa are targeting Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande in what could be a £50million deal.
Should Villa secure Champions League qualification, Emery is expected to push for more backing in the transfer market, with players like Diomande high on the wishlist.
Man City weigh up Morgan Rogers return amid transfer speculation
Villa’s standout season hasn’t just brought success on the pitch – it’s also put some of their stars in the shop window.
Football Insider revealed that Manchester City are considering a move to bring back Morgan Rogers this summer. The 22-year-old left City’s academy in 2023 but has since impressed under Emery since his move from Middlesborough, playing a key role in Villa’s attack.
While the speculation continues, Emery will hope the squad can maintain belief heading into the second leg, something Konsa made clear in his message to fans.
