City's £121m Anderson Swoop Threatens to Inflate Market for Arsenal's Rogers Target

Arsenal are concerned that Manchester City's blockbuster move for Nottingham Forest's Anderson could have serious ripple effects on their plans to land Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers this summer.

The Gunners are actively hunting attacking reinforcements following their Premier League title triumph in 2025/26, with Rogers high on their wishlist. The England international has reportedly earmarked Arsenal as his preferred destination, though the club remains focused on multiple options in the final third.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano confirmed last week that Arsenal are pursuing several avenues simultaneously. Club Brugge's Christos Tzolis represents one winger option under consideration, whilst Leicester City's Jeremy Monga is being tracked as a separate long-term prospect. Rogers, though, continues to occupy a prominent position in their thinking alongside targets like Ousmane Barcola.

However, the Telegraph has raised alarm bells among several Premier League heavyweights. The £121m valuation City have placed on Anderson—who has just eight England caps and hasn't yet graced the Champions League stage—threatens to reset the entire market. Forest themselves only splashed out £15m for the winger two years ago, making the asking price a staggering leap.

The concern is that Aston Villa will now demand a considerably inflated fee for Rogers, using Anderson's transfer as a benchmark. One industry observer told the Telegraph: "Anderson's move is going to have a knock-on effect in terms of what clubs ask for their players. It could make the market more difficult."

Meanwhile, Arsenal have also been linked with Newcastle's midfielder Sandro Tonali, though Chelsea harbour their own interest. Former Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo believes the west Londoners should pursue the Italian international, despite questioning whether they genuinely need another central midfielder given their existing options of Enzo Fernández, Moises Caicedo, Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia.

Di Matteo reflected on Chelsea's inconsistent campaign, citing managerial upheaval and injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill as contributing factors. He argued the club should resist a wholesale overhaul instead, suggesting they add seasoned experience to their youthful squad. "They need three or four players who can steady the ship and drag the rest along in those difficult periods," Di Matteo told Ladbrokes, emphasizing that international pedigree matters more than proven Premier League credentials when reinforcing a learning group.