Arsenal are reportedly plotting a summer move for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, with manager Mikel Arteta said to be a huge admirer of the 23-year-old.
Rogers has enjoyed a remarkable rise through the football pyramid, progressing from a loan spell at Lincoln City in League One before joining Middlesbrough in the Championship.
The England international then made the switch to Aston Villa, where he has developed into one of the Premier League’s most sought-after talents.
Rogers scored the third goal in Villa’s 3-0 Europa League final victory over Freiburg, helping secure the club’s return to the Champions League next season.
Arsenal have been linked with an £80m move for Rogers as the Gunners look to bolster their squad with high-profile signings this summer.
Arteta is understood to be a big admirer of Rogers due to his versatility, with the midfielder capable of playing off the left-hand side or through the centre.
Rogers himself has revealed that a game against Arsenal was the moment he knew he could compete at the very highest level in English football.
“Probably the Arsenal game at the start of last season was the big one for me,” Rogers told The Athletic ahead of Villa’s Europa League win over Freiburg.
“I was playing against some of the best players in the world and Arsenal were competing for the title.”
“They were players I watched on television when I was in the Championship or in League One. Being able to match them toe-to-toe, physically, with and without the ball, I just got that feeling: ‘Yeah, I can do this’.”
“I had been at Villa for six months and I did OK when I first came into the team, but you need that one moment; that one feeling on the pitch of when you know you can compete at that level.”
“The step up is actually a big jump, and it can take a while. But that was the game where I felt like I deserved to be here.”
Arsenal are preparing for their Champions League final against PSG and are hoping to add a European trophy to their recently ended two-decade wait for a Premier League title.
The Gunners know they will need to offload some of their current squad members before pursuing major incoming transfers this summer transfer window.
