Arsenal have been told they will need to pay an eye-watering amount to land one of their key transfer targets this summer, according to a report from The Telegraph.

The Gunners are keen to strengthen across most positions in the squad, with hopes that they will be able to retain the Premier League table, and perhaps win even more than that.

The forward areas have been a particular place of focus, with the North London outfit struggling to crack open games on several different occasions, with their dominance not always reflective of the scoreline or result.

Several options have appeared as players who could make the difference, with Morgan Rogers emerging as one of the main targets to add a spark up front.

However, a deal won’t come cheap for the Aston Villa talisman.

Arsenal Told Morgan Rogers Price

Arsenal are chasing a move for Rogers this summer, but it will come at quite a cost. According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa have quoted an English-record fee of £130 million to land the playmaker.

It’s a move that would smash the record set by Alexander Isak’s move from Newcastle to Liverpool, which cost the Reds £125 million last summer.

It would also eclipse the current window’s largest fee, which is Elliot Anderson’s move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, which has cost a staggering £116 million.

The report claims that Villa view Rogers as being worth more than his England teammate, though they are reluctant to allow a sale to go through.

Another sticking point for the Midlands club is a 20 percent sell-on clause that Middlesbrough have in the deal, which will eat into the overall profit they can make from the star – who they paid £15 million for back in 2024.

Arsenal‘s stance on such a fee is unclear, while rivals Chelsea are also keen on a move for Rogers, who has been described as a “superstar”.

It would be quite a stunning transfer, however, that would set a new bar for transfer fees across the whole division.

Arsenal’s Record Transfer Signings

Matthew Childs via Reuters

If Arsenal were to cough up the £130 million, it would also set a record for the most-expensive signing in the club’s history so far, overshadowing their other deals in the market.

The top ten are largely made up of more recent signings, but only Declan Rice’s deal has seen the Gunners cross over the £100 million threshold.

1. Declan Rice – £105m
2. Nicolas Pepe – £72m
3. Eberechi Eze – £67.5m
4. Kai Havertz – £65m
5. Viktor Gyokeres – £64.2m
6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £56m
7. Martin Zubimendi – £55.8m
8. Gabriel Jesus – £55m
9. Noni Madueke – £52m
10. Ben White – £50m

Having outlaid plenty in recent years for new signings, smashing the transfer record for Rogers would take them another step in the direction of spending.

It may add some immediate pressure on the England international, but it’s unclear whether Arsenal will be able to get a deal over the line in the near future.

The World Cup’s first giant-killing unfolded on Monday evening as Germany crashed out in the Round of 32 after losing on penalties to Paraguay.

Paraguay sat back for the majority of the first half and frustrated Julian Nagelsmann’s men. That said, they were the ones who went closest in the opening 45 minutes when Junior Alonso arrived at the far post, but Manuel Neuer blocked his effort.

The Germans then dominated possession but couldn’t break down a stern Paraguayan defence. Other than Alonso’s attempt in the first minute, the South Americans rarely made it out of their 18-yard box.

The game sprang into life in the 42nd minute when Paraguay took a shock lead through Strasbourg striker Julio Enciso. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man produced a fine header that left Manuel Neuer rooted to his spot.

Germany levelled in the 53rd minute after Florian Wirtz delivered a dangerous cross into the box. The faintest of touches from Kai Havertz’s head guided the ball past Orlando Gill.

The game opened up heading into the final 15 minutes of the second half, and both sides searched for a winner. Jonathan Tah thought he’d bagged it during extra-time with a tidy header only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out.

A feisty finish to regulation time saw Jamal Musiala escape a red card after a reckless challenge on Matias Galarza. The Paraguayan got revenge and perhaps also counted himself lucky not to receive his marching orders.

Havertz and Nick Woltemade were denied from the spot as Nagelsmann’s side woefully exited the World Cup. A tournament to forget for one of the biggest nations in world football.

Match Highlights

Still to come…

Germany Player Ratings

Phil Noble via Reuters

It’s easy to see why Germany fans have been critical of Julian Nagelsmann as his men were lacklustre throughout the first half. Wirtz isn’t a winger, and the Germans lack width when he’s playing on the left.

Wirtz put a quiet first-half behind him to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Havertz’s equaliser. The Arsenal man is a nuisance in the box and he also grew into the game.

Nathaniel Brown has been hailed amid a move to Bayern Munich, but on today’s showing he needs to improve defensively. The young left-back reacted poorly to the cross that led to Enciso’s goal.

The four-time world champions lack a prolific goalscorer, and Deniz Undav is no Miroslav Klose. Nagelsmann’s decision to start the Stuttgart forward didn’t pay off.

Felix Nmecha will be hoping Manchester United scouts weren’t in attendance, as the Red Devils’ midfield target wasn’t at his best. Neither was Joshua Kimmich, whose defensive weaknesses make clear he should be playing in midfield.

Paraguay Player Ratings

Peter Cziborra via Action Images via Reuters

Paraguay’s defence did well in the first half and were well organised to handle Germany’s attack, who grew frustrated. Jose Canale, in particular, performed like a brick wall, preventing the Germans from getting through the spaces.

Julio Enciso came up with a fine header to give his side the lead, and his movement caused problems for Nagelsmann’s defence. So too did former Newcastle United attacker Miguel Almiron, who worked hard on and off the ball for the South Americans.

Gustavo Alfaro was handed a massive headache when Ensico and Gabriel Avalos both went down with injuries and couldn’t continue. That said, Gustavo Caballero came on, and the Portsmouth loanee nearly made Germany pay on the counter on several occasions.

Neymar’s tweet immediately after Brazil’s last-gasp World Cup win against Japan has gone viral. The veteran didn’t get on the pitch, but was quick to shut up one major doubter.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men made a second-half comeback after falling behind to a Kaishu Sano strike to progress to the Round of 16, where they’ll meet either Ivory Coast or Norway. Casemiro and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli scored the goals to send the South Americans through.

Not content with just winning in stoppage time, Brazil’s players have been on a mission to prove a point to their doubters. First, Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha was spotted shouting a five-word message to a Japan player who claimed Brazil were no longer a powerhouse.

Neymar Sends Message to Economist After World Cup Win

Troy Taormina (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Now, Neymar has turned his attention to a man who predicted Japan would knock Brazil out of the biggest international competition. After the five-time world champions sealed a place in the last 16, the Santos forward jumped straight on social media.

In a tweet, which has since gone viral, the legendary attacker said: “Mr. Joachim Klement… please try again at the next World Cup.”

But that left many football fans confused. Who is Joachim Klement? Well, it proves Neymar has been paying close attention to what has been said about his country this summer. Klement is a man who claims to have correctly predicted the winners of the last three World Cups.

He’s a German economist who believes he has a ‘100% accurate formula’ after predicting Germany’s triumph in 2014, France winning in Russia four years later, and Lionel Messi’s Argentina lifting the trophy in Qatar.

Ahead of this year’s competition, Klement put his algorithm to work again. In terms of the winner, he concluded that the Netherlands would win their first-ever World Cup.

But, while he did have Brazil down with a 99% chance of progressing from the group stages, Klement’s algorithm had Brazil being knocked out by Japan in the Round of 32. That clearly hasn’t happened, despite looking very possible at one stage, and Neymar made sure to remind the mathematician. See his full group stage and knockout round predictions below.

Klement’s Predictions Scarily Accurate… Mostly

HMB Media/Marco Bader/Sipa USA via Reuters

At the time of writing (June 29), Klement’s predictions for the Round of 16 fixtures look like they could be scarily accurate. Croatia vs Spain, Germany vs France and Netherlands vs Canada are games that could take place in reality, depending on results in the Round of 32.

Spain vs Belgium and Netherlands vs France could also be quarter-final fixtures he’s got spot on. Japan vs England can’t happen, but Neymar’s Brazil could meet Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions.

Klement predicted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to meet in the quarter-final, but that now can’t happen until the final. However, most importantly, his prediction of the Netherlands winning it all could still come to fruition.