Chelsea's signing of Aston Villa midfielder Brendan Rodgers sets a new record for the highest transfer fee for an English player.

According to media reports, Chelsea have reached an agreement with Aston Villa to sign England midfielder Morgan Rodgers for a club-record transfer fee of £117 million.

The 23-year-old will undergo a medical with Chelsea on Monday after finishing his national team duties for the 2026 World Cup, after which he will sign a long-term "6+1" contract with the club.

This deal broke several football transfer records. It not only surpassed Manchester City's previous record of £116 million for Elliott Anderson, making him the most expensive English player in history, but also surpassed Enzo Fernandes' £107 million signing, becoming Chelsea's most expensive signing in the club's history.

Chelsea's new manager Xabi Alonso is trying to rebuild the team's midfield core with this signing before the start of the new Premier League season.

Rodgers joined Aston Villa from Middlesbrough in 2024 for a maximum fee of £15 million. Under manager Unai Emery, he made 85 league appearances and scored 21 goals, helping the team win the Europa League title last season. In the recently concluded World Cup, he represented England in 7 matches.

This transfer also brought huge profits to Rodgers' former club, Middlesbrough. Under the 20% resale bonus clause in the original contract, the Championship club will receive at least £20.4 million, which sets a record for the highest resale bonus in English football.

Aston Villa are currently suffering from a severe midfield blow. This week, Yuri Tielemans left the club for Manchester United for £35 million. However, Aston Villa subsequently signed Swiss international Johan Manzambi for over £50 million and also secured the signing of João Gomez from Wolves.

Image source: Internet/BBC official website