Chelsea sign Rogers in record-breaking £117m deal

Chelsea have completed the signing of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in a record-breaking £117m deal.

Rogers has signed a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge and becomes the most expensive British player of all time, breaking the record set earlier this summer when Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City for £116m.

"I'm so excited," said Rogers. "For me, Chelsea are the biggest club in London and a club I've always admired since I was a kid.

"I'm really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we've got and where the club is heading. That's why I'm here and I can't wait to get started."

Arsenal had previously identified Rogers as their top forward target this summer but the Gunners were unwilling to match the fee that Chelsea agreed.

The 23-year-old forward now leaves Champions League football with Villa to join Xabi Alonso's side, who will be without European football in the 2026/27 season.

Former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris to Sky Sports News:

"It's a great signing for Chelsea. And maybe a bit of a surprise - purely because of the fact that he is coming in from a team that's playing in the Champions League next year, and obviously looking at the reports that [the champions] Arsenal were very much after his signature.

"It's a huge signing. I've been a fan of Morgan Rogers since he was at Man City as a kid. I remember him there and then he really excelled under Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough and has then gone on to another level with Unai Emery at Aston Villa. So, it's a huge signing, but to say that I was surprised would be an understatement.

"As far as where he's going to play I think that will all depend on how Xabi Alonso wants to play. I think at the moment, we're all maybe playing a bit of a guessing game. He played three at the back at Leverkusen and then not so much at Real Madrid, but I think the beauty of someone like a Morgan Rogers is that he is a talented boy.

"I think he can play in the No 10 role, I think he can play both sides of the wings and also - like we've seen in the last England game - he almost played like a number eight.

"There's nothing wrong with having players that are versatile and he is certainly one of them. He's a huge, huge talent and now he will obviously be joining his old mate Cole Palmer at Chelsea.

"He's still young but he's proved it in the Premier League and is a fully-fledged England international. It's a big signing."