Arsenal weigh up £165m double raid on Aston Villa duo Rogers and Konsa

Arsenal are reportedly plotting a significant double raid on Aston Villa, with Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa both understood to be on Mikel Arteta’s radar this summer. Should both deals materialise, the Premier League champions could end up spending in the region of £165million on the pair alone.

According to the Mirror, Arsenal’s interest in attacking midfielder Rogers is well established, but it has now emerged that the Gunners are also keen on his Villa team-mate Konsa. Both players are currently away with England at the World Cup, though that has not stopped speculation over their futures intensifying.

British record fee mooted for Rogers

The Telegraph has reported that Aston Villa would want a British transfer record fee of £130million to part with Rogers this summer. The versatile forward, who can operate centrally or out wide, is also said to be attracting interest from Chelsea, raising the prospect of a bidding war for his signature.

The Daily Mail has separately detailed Arsenal’s interest in Konsa, with uncertainty surrounding the future of right-back Ben White reportedly prompting Arteta to seek a defender capable of covering both full-back and central defence. Arsenal are believed to think a fee of around £35million could get a deal for the 28-year-old over the line, though Villa are expected to demand more.

Should Arsenal land Konsa at the lower end of that valuation alongside a deal for Rogers, the combined outlay would total £165million. Added to the club’s already completed permanent signing of Piero Hincapie, that would push Arsenal’s summer spending towards the £200million mark.

Trossard and Martinelli exits could follow

Rogers, who is comfortable operating either as a number ten or from wide areas, is being viewed as a potential replacement for Leandro Trossard. The Belgian winger has continued to be linked with a move to Besiktas, while Gabriel Martinelli is also reportedly being tipped for a departure from the Emirates Stadium.

Why Arsenal walked away from Monga deal

Elsewhere, the reasoning behind Arsenal’s decision to withdraw from talks over Leicester City teenager Jeremy Monga has come to light. Manchester City are understood to be closing in on a deal for the 16-year-old worth around £10million.

Arsenal had previously seen a £5million offer for Monga rejected but remained in discussions as they attempted to beat City to his signature. However, the involvement of new City boss Enzo Maresca, who worked with the youngster during his time at Leicester, is said to have proven decisive alongside City’s higher valuation, prompting Arsenal to step back from the race.

Monga was one of the few bright spots in a difficult season for Leicester, who were relegated to League One. Depending on how the coming weeks unfold, he could soon find himself playing regular Premier League football with City instead.

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