Arsenal prioritise Morgan Rogers transfer with Aston Villa backed into a financial corner

Arsenal have made Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers their top target for the summer transfer window.

The Gunners are looking to bolster their side ahead of next season, with midfield an area in need of upgrades.

However, it's not an easy market for them to navigate with sky-high prices and competition meaning flexibility is required.

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Aston Villa could be forced to sell their top asset this summer

The Athletic has claimed that Rogers is Arsenal's priority and that Villa could be persuaded to sell arguably their best player by financial regulations.

After exceeding their UEFA loss limit, Villa had to enter into a settlement agreement, which could lead to some strict punishments if terms are not met.

While Villa's preference is that Rogers stays and plays for them next season, selling him could remove any worries over future problems caused by finances.

One such punishment could be a ban from European competitions, so Villa see it as vital that they stick to the rules.

With Rogers valued at higher than the £116m Manchester City paid for Elliot Anderson this summer, a sale would bring in a substantial, potentially transformative, fee.

Arsenal are also monitoring the situation of Paris Saint Germain's Bradley Barcola, but he would also set them back north of £100m.

Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes is another player the Gunners are keen on signing, but have been told that the player is not available this summer following the sale of Sandro Tonali to Spurs.

Arsenal's need for a midfielder stems from an over-reliance on the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi last season.

Injuries to squad players like Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard and Mikel Arteta's reluctance to use the likes of Christian Norgaard mean reinforcements are needed if they are to compete for extra silverware while also defending their league title.

They have also recently struck a deal for goalkeeper Illan Meslier as a free agent.