Aston Villa face Morgan Rogers complication as £135m transfer war chest readied

Morgan Rogers’ eye-watering transfer exit from Aston Villa is reportedly encouraging a number of clubs to push up the asking price for players Unai Emery’s side have been linked with.

Arsenal appeared to be leading the race for the England international’s signature, as Mikel Arteta looked to strengthen his attacking options for their Premier League title defence.

However, while the Gunners dilly-dallied, Chelsea swooped in, submitted a whopping bid of £117m, and Villa gladly accepted.

The 23-year-old, whose Villa Park contract ran until 2031, is all set to sign a new six-year deal at Stamford Bridge just days after featuring in England’s third-place finish at this summer’s World Cup.

The West Midlands outfit have been up against it financially in recent years, with the division’s Profit and Sustainability Rules severely hamstringing them in the transfer market.

That may not change a great deal under the new Squad Cost Ratio rules but they will certainly try to reinvest in the squad off the back of Rogers‘ impending departure.

As Lucas Digne seems set to join Paris Saint-Germain, Villa are on the hunt for a new left-back to compete with Ian Maatsen and one such name that keeps coming up is AC Milan’s Pervis Estupinan.

The former Brighton star has had an underwhelming time at the Italian giants in his first season at the club and it seems they are prepared to cash-in on the Ecuadorian.

According to journalist Carlo Pellegatti, Villa are ready to offer €20m (£17m) for Estupinan. However, in light of this Rogers development, the Serie A side may be trying to coax more money out of the Villans.

He said, “Aston Villa are reportedly ready to offer €20m for Estupinian, and we thought that was good news. Instead, AC Milan are telling us they have no intention of selling him for now.

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“Given that Aston Villa’s management took home €140m from the sale of Rogers to Chelsea, perhaps AC Milan, confident in the belief that Aston Villa’s coffers are well-filled, brimming with pounds, are playing to secure the highest possible fee.

“However, we can now say that there could be a slowdown.”

This tactic may not go down well with Villa but perhaps they just need to be patient.

Aston Villa look to strengthen after Morgan Rogers

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk previously reported that Villa and Newcastle United were eyeing up Abde Ezzalzouli after the Real Betis winger switched to a new agency.

The 24-year-old scored 15 goals and added 13 assists in a brilliant 2025-26 season for the Morocco international, who missed the World Cup due to injury.

As he prepares to return to fitness this week, a bidding war may begin for his services, with Betis said to be pointing to his £51m release clause.

He is not the only player on Villa’s radar, though, with TEAMtalk also revealing that Bologna winger Jonathan Rowe is of interest. 

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The former Norwich City ace is yet to receive an offer from Villa, but Emery’s side have held discussions with the Italian team about a possible deal.

We understand that Rowe is valued at around £42.5m, with Bologna likely to play hard ball over the left winger; especially in light of Rogers’ fee.

Finally, TEAMtalk has once again reported that Villa are keeping tabs on Galatasaray midfielder Gabriel Sara, with the Turkish giants open to sell him for around £25m.

If Villa signed all four of these aforementioned players for those mooted prices, that would tot up to a whopping £135.5m. It is unlikely that they all join but it shows that the Villans intend to reinvest without delay.

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