He’s more exciting than Rogers: Arsenal in talks to sign £60m star

How do you improve a team who has just won the Premier League and reached a Champions League final? Well, Arsenal have their plans and they’re really rather exciting.

After winning the league, Josh Kroenke admitted that plans were already underway to strengthen the squad and while the window only opened for business on Monday, it would appear as though the Gunners are working tirelessly to conclude some early incomings.

Arsenal will have to sell. There is a realisation that likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard could both leave but replacements are being lined up.

Club Brugge winger Cristos Tzolis has emerged as a market opportunity for the Gunners while their dream target would appear to be Aston Villa and England forward Morgan Rogers.

Arsenal in talks to seal a more exciting signing than Rogers

We are just a day into the window but Arsenal’s number one target is clear; Rogers.

Reports over recent weeks have confirmed that the Gunners have already held talks behind the scenes with the player’s camp but Villa are in no mood to sell. An £80m-£100m price tag has been placed on his head.

That is a costly deal to do and it’s unlikely Arsenal will spend £100m on one player this summer. If they can lower the price closer to £80m then there is a sense a move will be agreed.

Between Tzolis and Rogers, Mikel Arteta would bolster his forward line significantly but there are also plans to strengthen the midfield where Martin Zubimendi cut a rather weary figure towards the end of last season. That’s hardly a surprise when you consider how much distance he covered in 2025/26 compared to his positional peers.

As a result, they have turned their attentions towards Ayyoub Bouaddi, but not just since he dazzled for Morocco against Brazil last weekend. This is a young player who the Gunners have been monitoring for a while.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano who took to his YouTube channel on Saturday to reveal: “Bouaddi is followed by many clubs. He is a special talent. He has always been on the shortlist of PSG but they are focusing on the attack and the centre-backs so we have to see if PSG change their strategy.

“Then, we have to keep a very close eye on English clubs. Arsenal and Liverpool have already had some meetings with his agents since January and a few weeks ago. Both clubs are really interested.”

Previous reports have outlined it could take around £60m to prise him away from French shores.

Why Bouaddi is more exciting than Rogers

If there was one area of the field that Arsenal struggled in last season it was in their attack. Bukayo Saka struggled for form and fitness, Viktor Gyokeres never really convinced after his big-money move, Martinelli netted just one league goal all term and Trossard went 25 matches without scoring at one stage.

As a result, signing a batch of new forward players should be the biggest priority for Arteta and Berta this season. That said, they can afford to be picky here. They are the Premier League champions, after all.

What Arsenal need this summer are wingers. Tzolis is an out and out winger while Rogers, however impressive he has been for Villa in recent years, is more of an attacking midfielder. He’s cut from a similar cloth as Eberechi Eze. He can play behind the striker but also out on the flanks.

He’d be a mighty fine signing, do not get us wrong. He has scored 14 goals in back to back seasons now and could be a game-changer for the club’s attacking line. That said, if they are to spend upwards of £100m, they need to ensure he is going to be a difference maker out wide. The jury is still out in that regard.

Bouaddi, on the other hand, would arguably be an even better pick up, an even more exciting signing than Rogers.

Why? Well, as he has already shown at the World Cup, he is one of the best young players on the planet. Bouaddi was a household name in France and has been for a while now. He made his senior debut at the age of 16 for Lille but he really became a household name across the world for his performance against Brazil a few days ago.

He dominated proven midfielders with ease. Casemiro, Fabinho and Bruno Guimaraes were all left bamboozled by this talented teenager. He evaded the press with ease, he carried the ball forward with poise and his long legs enabled him to win back possession and gallop forward like prize race horse. As Arsenal writer Adam Keys puts it, “Bouaddi has those Vieira / Diaby type long legs that allows him to tackle for all directions, and drive through the middle with big, rangey strides.”

It was a Declan Rice-esque performance from the 18-year-old who demonstrated why he is already one of the most elite midfielders in the world.

This is a player who has been doing it in Ligue 1 for years now. He’s got a perfect profile, particularly for Arteta. While we know he loves to recruit from within the Premier League, hence the interest in Rogers, he also loves to recruit big, physical players.

Bouaddi has all of the grace of a top midfielder but he’s got the physical attributes to match, standing at 6 foot 1. Rogers is the dream target to improve the forward line but the Moroccan sensation needs to be the number one target overall.

We’re watching a generational talent learn his trade here, a player who just made an almighty impact on the biggest of stages against the most successful nation in World Cup history. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Like fellow teenager, Myles Lewis-Skelly, this is a young player who is not overrawed by the occasion. He simply relishes the big moments and does not shy away from them. Can you imagine the two of them in tandem with Rice? It’s a salivating thought, it really is.

At just £60m, this would be a snip in a market where Elliot Anderson looks set to move for the best part of £120m.