Overview
- Multiple outlets report that Chelsea and Aston Villa reached a verbal agreement for Rogers on Saturday with a fee reported at £117 million.
- Rogers is expected to undergo a medical on Monday and to sign a six-year contract with an option for a further year once paperwork is completed.
- Arsenal had been the leading suitor in recent days and had engaged Villa over personal terms but sources say Rogers favoured Chelsea, which shifted the race.
- Aston Villa’s earlier £130 million valuation and Rogers’ long-term deal at Villa — reported to run until 2031 — shaped negotiations and Villa will owe a sell-on payment to Middlesbrough that reduces their net proceeds.
- If completed the transfer would be a club-record fee for Chelsea and signals Xabi Alonso’s backing from ownership while forcing Arsenal to pivot and giving Villa funds to reinvest in the squad.