Chelsea are frontrunners in the race for “perfect” £80m Premier League star

Chelsea are working hard to establish themselves as title contenders and a force in European football once again this season.

The Blues are currently fifth in the Premier League table after eight fixtures and have begun their Champions League campaign with a defeat to Bayern Munich and a victory over Benfica.

As usual, Chelsea were busy in the summer transfer window, bringing in new talent including Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho.

The West Londoners spent a small fortune bolstering their attacking options but are yet to get the very best out of the latest additions to their squad.

Despite dedicating the summer transfer window to securing the best available attacking talent, it seems Chelsea are not finished spending in their pursuit to dominate domestically and on the European stage.

According to Caught Offside, the Blues are currently the frontrunners to sign Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.

The publication claims that sources say Chelsea have identified Rogers as a key target in their squad planning for next year, with a view to strengthening their attacking midfield options.

The technical staff at the club believe he is well suited to the competitive demands they face across competitions and see him as a long-term prospect capable of developing further under their guidance.

Villa are expected to command a whopping £80m to part ways with their young talent, with both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain noted as interested parties too.

There is no doubt that Rogers is one of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League and he would add something special to any team in Europe.

However, it is unlikely that Chelsea would be willing to commit to spending £80m in January without giving their latest signings a chance to settle in, nor are Villa likely to be interested in a mid-season sale.

As a result, the Blues will need to be prepared for competition for the 23-year-old ace, who was dubbed “perfect” by Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards following his game-defining performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The last 12 months have seen Rogers go from strength to strength both at club level and on the international stage, where he was awarded his first England call-up by iterim boss Lee Carsley back in November 2024.

Although their competition in Liverpool and PSG will be strong, Chelsea may have an upper hand in getting a deal over the line, as it is common knowledge that Rogers has a close relationship with star player Cole Palmer.

The pair have built their careers together, starting in the Manchester City academy and England youth set-up, which led to them sharing the now-infamous “cold” goal celebration almost all football fans will be familiar with.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea do test the waters in January to get a deal done for Rogers, but if not, it would be surprising not to see them make him their marquee signing in the summer.

Rebekka Arnold is an experienced writer with a strong background in digital media, PR and football journalism.

Since 2021, Rebekka has written opinion pieces and match reaction content for Football Fancast, part of the Snack Media network, building on her growing presence in the football community through viral Twitter content and podcasting.

Now at Transfer Tavern, Rebekka brings her sharp eye for analysis and deep passion for the game to deliver engaging football opinion and breaking transfer news content.