Talks are reportedly underway between Arsenal and Aston Villa over the signing of Morgan Rogers.
Fresh off their long-awaited Premier League triumph the Gunners are clearly not content to rest on their laurels and have had a busy start in the opening weeks of the transfer market.
Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior have already departed the club, joining Besiktas and Porto respectively, and Arsenal have also made their move for Piero Hincapie permanent and signed Illan Meslier.
However, they could soon add a marquee arrival to their incomings list, with reports suggesting that Morgan Rogers could soon be on his way to North London.
Rogers is said to be Mikel Arteta's top target this summer, following an impressive season with Aston Villa that saw him score 14 goals and register 12 assists in all competitions as Unai Emery's side finished fourth in the Premier League and won the UEFA Europa League.
There are suggestions that in order to prize Rogers away from Villa Park Arsenal will need to pay a club-record fee, eclipsing the £105million they spent on Declan Rice in the summer of 2023.
Middlesbrough's Potential Windfall
Reports surrounding a potential move for Rogers will be music to the ears of Middlesbrough supporters.
The 23-year-old joined the North East club in 2023 from Manchester City, and didn't even spent a full season at the Riverside Stadium before signing for Villa in the January window.
Villa reportedly paid £8million for Rogers' services, with the fee potentially rising to £15m based on performance-related bonuses.
Manchester City were entitled to 25% of the fee, but it is understood that their entitlement related exclusively to the move to Villa rather than any future transfers.
Meanwhile Middlesbrough negotiated a 20% sell-on clause into their agreement with Villa, meaning they will pocket a fifth of any profit made on his move away from the West Midlands.
Therefore, if the figure is based on the £15million including performance-related bonuses that Villa paid, should Arsenal make a club record offer of around £110million to sign Rogers, Middlesbrough would be entitled to a windfall close to £20million.
That figure would likely represent a world-record for a sell-on fee, rivalling the money Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle received when Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea from Brighton in 2023 for a fee in excess of £100million.
