A Premier League legend has advised Chelsea against signing an £80m player from one of their rivals.
Former England international Emile Heskey has advised Chelsea to stop their pursuit of Morgan Rogers as he thinks that the player will be an "overkill" for the west London side.
The Blues’ transfer activity this summer has shown no signs of slowing down, with the club already welcoming a host of fresh faces, including Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian.
Fresh off their lucrative Club World Cup win, Chelsea appear eager to keep strengthening their squad ahead of next season.
The latest name reportedly on their radar is that of Rogers, who has flourished under the guidance of Unai Emery since he joined the Midlands club from Middlesbrough in January 2024.
Rogers has put in a string of impressive performances at Aston Villa that have not gone unnoticed, as several English giants consider moves for him.
Though Villa might not be in any mood to sell their star player, they might be forced to do so owing to the financial challenges they are facing.
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Reports are also suggesting that a bid in the region of £80 million ($107m) could test their resolve.
Emile Heskey’s advice to Chelsea and Morgan Rogers
While acknowledging Rogers' readiness to make the jump to a top-tier club, Heskey believes Chelsea may be better off looking elsewhere, given the wealth of options they already possess in attacking positions.
Speaking to BestBettingSites.co.uk, Heskey remarked: "I think he’s ready. But it’d be interesting to see Chelsea try to get him, because Villa don’t really need to be selling their prize assets."
"But we keep coming back to PSR, and clubs will now always way up a good offer for their players, and selling Rogers might help them balance the books, and he’s one of their most valuable players."
"I’m not sure where he’d fit in with Chelsea right now, though, even if Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke go. He’s going to be behind Cole Palmer in the pecking order."
Meanwhile, Heskey encouraged Rogers to consider the benefits of remaining at Villa Park for at least one more season.
"It would be interesting as it’s another Manchester City player who might make their way to Chelsea, but I think he should spend another year at Villa, at least," he said.
"He’s going well, the club are on the up, and they could break into that top four this season. That’s a really big challenge and a good one for him, too. I think if he did go to Chelsea, he could be fantastic, but for Chelsea, it might be overkill, buying players for the sake of it."
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