Chelsea sign Morgan Rogers for £117m in record British transfer

Published Jul 21, 08:57 PM UTC

Chelsea have completed a shock £117m transfer for Aston Villa and England midfielder Morgan Rogers, making him the most expensive British player in history. The deal was finalized in under 48 hours after England's World Cup semi-final defeat, with Chelsea's sporting directors, head coach Xabi Alonso, co-owner Behdad Eghbali, captain Reece James, and player Cole Palmer all involved in the recruitment effort. Rogers signed a six-year contract with an option for a further year, calling Chelsea 'the biggest club in London.' Arsenal were given the chance to match the bid but declined, sticking to their lower valuation. The transfer represents a recalibration of Chelsea's strategy toward signing more 'ready-made' players, as acknowledged by co-owner Eghbali. Rogers had been Chelsea's top attacking target for over two years, and the strong relationship between Chelsea's Eghbali and Aston Villa's Nassef Sawiris helped facilitate the record deal.