Aston Villa insider reveals what surprised him about Morgan Rogers deal - 'To be honest...'

Aston Villa could have got a Premier League record fee of around £130million from the sale of Morgan Rogers.

That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The 23-year-old's move to Chelsea was confirmed this week, after a fee worth £117m was agreed between the clubs.

Rogers has become the most expensive Englishman ever, exceeding the £116m paid by Manchester City for Elliot Anderson just weeks ago.

Arsenal had looked to be the front-runner for the England international all summer, but ultimately opted against matching Chelsea's bid.

Villa have signed Johan Manzambi to replace Rogers' presence in midfield, while negotiations over a deal for Alejandro Garnacho are ongoing.

Aston Villa insider surprised by Morgan Rogers fee

Some rumours have suggested that before the season ended, Villa would have been willing to accept around £95m for Rogers.

The way the transfer fees have exploded this summer, however, appears to have changed their stance completely.

While Arsenal remained hopeful of completing a deal for Rogers under £100m, Villa used Anderson's £116m move as a benchmark for their own asking price.

The Premier League champions were simply unwilling to pay that level of fee, and eventually, a club that would came along.

The fee for Rogers is just £8m less than the record - £125m - which was agreed between Newcastle United and Liverpool last summer for the transfer of Alexander Isak.

"You sell your star man, which again, it comes money, money. I thought they could have got more for Rogers, to be honest," King told Football Insider.

"I'd have thought he'd have been in the £130m range. That's a million more than they pay for Anderson, Man City."

Rogers deal suits Aston Villa

Villa likely could have bided their time and ultimately got a bigger fee for Rogers this summer.

However, that would also leave them far less time to find replacements and invest the money throughout the squad.

The Villans have struggled with issues surrounding the profit and sustainability rules this summer, but the sale of Rogers has made most of those problems go away.

Just as Jack Grealish did in 2021, Villa will hope Rogers' departure sets up a new era of progression at Villa Park.