Morgan Rogers ready to say yes to Man City with Arsenal tipped to miss out
Ciaran McCarthy
Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers would have no reservations about a return to Manchester City if given the opportunity, reports TEAMtalk.
Rogers hit 10 Premier League goals for the first time this season, along with seven assists, as Villa confirmed Champions League football with a fourth-placed finish. The star attacking-midfielder also helped them win the Europa League, with three goals and five assists - including a goal in the final - in the campaign.
Unsurprisingly, Rogers' performances have alerted some of the world's biggest clubs, with Premier League champions Arsenal recently said to have taken a liking to him.
It has been suggested that Mikel Arteta has directly asked the Gunners' board to sign the Villa star, but he could be out of luck, with a push coming from Rogers' former academy club, City.
TEAMtalk reports Rogers is open-minded about the future, should a potential move arise, while also stating interest from City is genuine, and he'd have no reservations about going back there should they firm up their pursuit and give him the chance at a return.
After selling Jack Grealish to City in 2021, in a £100million move, it's suggested Villa would want more for Rogers, who's seen as a very similar sort of player to their former talisman.
Whether City, Arsenal or any other interested club - Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been named - will stretch to the Villans' demands is currently unclear.
Rogers credited Maresca in his development
Rogers played under Enzo Maresca in the City academy, featuring just five times, scoring twice and assisting once in those games.
The Italian is strongly suggested to be the incoming City manager, taking over from Pep Guardiola, and should Rogers reunite with him, he'd be playing under a manager who he's credited with playing a part in his development.
Rogers said in 2024: “I didn’t play a lot under him but I did train under him. He had the perfect mix of getting the best out of players while within that structure. I learned a lot.”
The Englishman has since gone on to become one of the best attacking-midfield players in the country, who's likely to play a part in the Three Lions' World Cup campaign this summer.
Should he move to City beyond that, Maresca could get him to shine even brighter, given the respect the Villa star clearly has for his former academy boss and the time he spent under his watch.
The report suggests the incoming boss wants to oversee the next phase of City's evolution, so bringing in a player trained in their academy who's already become a star would make a lot of sense.
