Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal eye Rogers, Eze after Havertz injury

Aug 21, 2025, 05:00 AM ET

Arsenal are weighing up a move for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, while Rasmus Højlund wants any loan deal to include an obligation to make it permanent if he leaves Manchester United. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– While Arsenal are closing on a £67.5 million deal to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze from under the noses of Tottenham Hotspur, they are also weighing up a move for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, claims The Sun. A potential long-term injury to striker Kai Havertz has made an attempt to sign Rogers more likely, but the Gunners had already been closely monitoring the 23-year-old as they looked for somebody to challenge Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing. Villa are determined to keep the England international and are no longer under financial pressure, so they are unlikely to entertain any offers under £80m.

— Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund has made it clear to Napoli, RB Leipzig, AC Milan and any other interested clubs that he wants any loan deal to include an obligation to sign for them permanently rather than an option, reports Fabrizio Romano. The 22-year-old had been keen to stay at Old Trafford but now wants to feel the confidence of his new club if he is to leave. Elsewhere, Corriere dello Sport state that Højlund is the most likely option to replace Napoli’s injured striker Romelu Lukaku.

– Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is now on Internazionale’s short list, reports TEAMtalk, which adds that Roma are also still in picture after initially being rejected by the 25-year-old. Sancho could look for a loan to keep his options open as a free agent in 2026, with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus the frontrunners. Turkish side Besiktas are also interested in the winger, who has no future at Old Trafford after signing for €85m from Dortmund in 2021.

– Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott is RB Leipzig’s top option to replace midfielder Xavi Simons, says Florian Plettenberg, with the Netherlands international being set to join Chelsea for around €60m after the Bundesliga opener against Bayern Munich. Leipzig have already agreed personal terms with Elliott — who was a standout performer in England’s U21 Euros win this summer — and the Reds would let him leave if they received a suitable offer.

– Brentford have rejected Newcastle United’s improved offer of £35m, plus £5m in add-ons, to sign striker Yoane Wissa, as reported by The Athletic. Brentford haven’t given any club a valuation for the transfer of the 28-year-old, who wants to make the move to St James’ Park, but clearly want more than £40m. Newcastle had previously had a £25m offer rejected, while Nottingham Forest have seen two bids rejected since last January but have now moved on to other targets.

CONFIRMED DEALS

– Bournemouth have completed the €21m signing of Bayer Leverkusen winger Amine Adli.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s Sam Tighe on why Arsenal are unlikely to sign both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers.

It’s no surprise that Arsenal have reignited their Eze interest — perhaps the surprise was that they let it go cold, after clearly doing a lot of groundwork on the deal in early summer — and Rogers, who was just crowned PFA Young Player of the Year, is a player of such potential, he’ll be on everyone’s watchlist.

The players share some distinct similarities: They’re both exciting, dynamic, ball-carrying forwards who can play across the attacking midfield line (although Eze rarely plays on the right); they both cut their teeth in the EFL Championship, making them relatively late bloomers at the top level; and they’re both homegrown, which always helps with squad registration.

Eze, four years Rogers’ senior, is understandably a much more polished footballer. The highlight reel shows 45 Premier League goal contributions in the past three seasons; the deep dive reveals how often he makes the right choice in possession, which is a truly valuable trait.

Rogers is fairly inexperienced for a 23-year-old these days, but is catching up fast. His 40-yard runs with the ball are thrilling, but he does lose the ball a lot too — he ranked in the 6th percentile last season for mis-controls (3.29 per 90) and the 13th percentile for times dispossessed (2.14 per 90).

Eze is ready for a big step; Rogers less so. Having already signed six senior players this summer, it’s highly unlikely the Gunners can acquire both, and if it is to be Eze, it’s likely the right call.

OTHER RUMORS

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– Chelsea’s parent company, BlueCo, have reached an agreement to sign Brighton & Hove Albion attacking midfielder Julio Enciso. The 21-year-old is expected to initially join Strasbourg, but is viewed as a Chelsea player long term. (The Athletic)

– Manchester United have been linked with three midfielders: Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume and Sporting’s Morten Hjulmand, but have yet to progress a deal for any of them. (GMS)

– Everton are interested in Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaly Mykolenko both having suffered injuries. (Daily Mail)

– Real Betis are looking at signing Arsenal left back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who will be allowed to move on this summer. (GMS)

– Marseille are looking at Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas and West Ham United’s Emerson Palmieri as they aim to sign a left back. (Footmercato)

– Galatasaray and Al Ittihad have joined Internazionale, Juventus and AC Milan in looking at Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot after he was placed on the transfer list for a fight with teammate Jonathan Rowe. (Footmercato)

– Al Ahli have raised their offer to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli to €35m, with a salary of €12m per year. (Nicolo Schira)

– Marc Casado can decide his own future, but Barcelona would be open to offers for the midfielder worth over €30m. Wolves, Bournemouth, West Ham United, Real Betis and Atletico Madrid are among those interested in the 21-year-old. (Sport)

– Villarreal have agreed to sign Renato Veiga from Chelsea in a €29.5m package that includes add-ons and a percentage of the defender’s next move. (Fabrizio Romano)

– AC Milan have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen worth €30m for the loan of striker Victor Boniface with an option to permanently sign him. The Rossoneri are also looking at Sporting CP forward Conrad Harder and Vasco da Gama winger Rayan. (Sky Sports Italia)

– Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement with Juventus for the loan of Douglas Luiz with an obligation to make the deal permanent dependent on the number of games he plays. Forest also have an option to sign the midfielder for around €30m if that figure isn’t met. (Athletic)

– Luiz’s departure means Juventus can move to bring striker Kolo Randal Muani back from Paris Saint-Germain on a €10m loan with a €35m-€40m conditional obligation to make the deal permanent. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

– Bayer Leverkusen have made Monaco winger Eliesse Ben Seghir their priority for the rest of the transfer window. Negotiations are ongoing with the Ligue 1 side wanting a fee of well over €30m. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Bayer Leverkusen have also put Feyenoord midfielder Quinten Timber on their shortlist as they look to strengthen that position. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Bournemouth have rekindled their interest in Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. (Daily Mail)

– Galatasaray will make their offer to Manuel Akanji after reaching an agreement with Manchester City for the defender. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Napoli are negotiating with Girona for right-back Arnau Martinez, who they see as a back-up option if they are unable to sign Sevilla’s Juanlu Sanchez. (Calciomercato)

– Girona are positioning themselves to bring in Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, but there is also competition from Como and Celta Vigo among others. (Mundo Deportivo)