Aston Villa have reportedly made an improved offer to Middlesbrough for Morgan Rogers, who is said to be Unai Emery’s priority transfer target this month.
The 21-year-old has seemingly caught the eye of the Villa boss and our scouting department, having contributed six goals and nine assists in 32 appearances so far this season.
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Villa would have taken the opportunity to take a closer look at him in our FA Cup meeting at the start of the month, and after reports earlier this week that we’d made a bid to try and prise him away from Teesside, it’s now suggested that having been initially rebuffed, we’ve returned with an improved offer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Rogers is Emery’s priority target for January, while the youngster is said to be keen on the move to join us, and so it remains to be seen if Middlesbrough approve of our ‘significant new offer’, as per the transfer expert.
Rogers certainly appears to have great potential and real talent, with his athleticism, physical attributes, technical ability and threat in the final third all standing out so far this season and prior to his move to the Riverside Stadium.
The talented attacker registered an assist this past weekend against Rotherham, as seen in the video below, and it was undoubtedly an impressive bit of play from him to create the opening.
Coupled with his work ethic and the strengths noted above, he could be an exciting new addition to the squad to bolster our attacking options, as we look to continue to compete on multiple fronts for silverware moving forward.
Time will tell if the two clubs can reach an agreement as given the ongoing talks and improved offers, it does appear as though that will be the major stumbling block in this pursuit, with Rogers said to be open to the switch.
Coupled with speculation linking us with a move for Kosta Nedeljkovic, it appears Villa are targeting youthful, long-term solutions this month to strengthen the group, and so it remains to be seen if Rogers will form part of that vision.
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As a Boro fan I find the Villa approach strange. In the Summer they sold both Archer and Ramsey for over £30m siting FFP as the reason. Yet now they want to buy a player of a similar ilk for what I assume will be about £10m. Although Rogers has potential he is nowhere as near as good as Ramsey and Archer were last year. Think I would rather have kept one of those two if I’d been Villa.
For my part I hope Boro hold out for as big a sum as possible as the kid is on a four year deal and we have no urgent need to sell.