Rice Leads Arsenal's Push for Rogers as Gunners Deploy England Connection

Arsenal have upped their pursuit of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers by deploying their England contingent as persuaders, with Declan Rice taking the lead in the recruitment drive.

The Premier League champions are keen to strengthen their squad further this summer, and Rogers remains firmly on their radar. The Gunners have maintained their interest for months, and now they're turning up the heat by having Rice work his magic on his international team-mate.

According to reports, Arsenal plan to use their Three Lions presence to help sway the Villa winger. Alongside Rice, the club boasts three other England World Cup squad members in Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, and Bukayo Saka—all of whom could play a role in convincing Rogers to make the switch to north London.

Rogers, valued at £85million, has previously been linked with a move to the Emirates. While there's no guarantee the charm offensive will succeed, earlier reports suggested the winger is open to the prospect of joining Arsenal.

The Valuation Game

The fee for Rogers has become something of a moving target. Villa originally held firm at £100million-plus, but recent speculation suggests the figure could drop to £85million or even £80million. The theory goes that Villa recognise Rogers as a sellable asset and may be willing to negotiate given their own need to move players on.

However, Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic's Villa correspondent, has pushed back against the notion of any discount, insisting the club will not budge on their valuation and expect interested parties to pay full whack.

Club insiders tend to carry more weight with supporters than speculation, and Villa fans appear to be backing Tanswell's assessment that their board will hold firm.