United rocked as Arsenal set to spark “bidding war” for 23-yo wizard Wilcox wants to be Bruno’s heir – report

Manchester United are braced for a “bidding war” to erupt over Morgan Rogers after Arsenal stormed into the race for the 23-year-old wizard, according to a new report. Arteta pushing hard Fresh from securing the Gunners’ first Premier League title in 22 years, Mikel Arteta is intent on further strengthening his squad next season. Despite having the opportunity to add the Champions League to their domestic title, with a showdown clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday in the final, Arsenal have not been at their vintage best going forward this season. A talented and versatile goal-scoring threat like Rogers would be a major upgrade on the left wing for Arteta, with talkSPORT revealing the Spaniard is “personally leading the drive” to sign Rogers as he sees capturing the Aston Villa star as a “signal of intent” to Arsenal’s rivals. The report claims “preliminary talks” have already been held, with Unai Emery’s side increasingly resigned to losing their prized asset this summer. Despite winning the Europa League last week, the England international — primed to play a key role for the Three Lions at the World Cup next summer — is open to leaving Villa Park for one of Europe’s elite clubs. United risk being priced out United are one of the sides most interested in Rogers, with INEOS considering him a potential long-term successor to Bruno Fernandes. The Villa star’s ability to thrive on the left would enable him to play alongside Fernandes, before eventually inverting inside to the No.10 role when the Portuguese talisman finally calls time on his career in M16. Sporting director Jason Wilcox is “known to be an admirer of Rogers” after the pair’s shared time in the Manchester City academy. United have increasingly targeted Premier League-proven operators since the 55-year-old executive was placed in charge at Old Trafford — with the Halesowen native matching this profile. However, Villa are understood to be demanding a minimum of £80m to sanction a sale, with the increased interest from Arsenal, as well as Chelsea and PSG, meaning a “bidding war is likely to drive that price to around £100m.” With United’s focus this summer being a revamp in midfield, the budget will not be able to extend to a big-money raid for Rogers. This limitation has also ruled out a move for RB Leipzig speedster Yan Diomande, giving Liverpool a free run at the 19-year-old Ivorian. Final Thoughts While Rogers ticks many of INEOS’s boxes — young, versatile, Premier League-proven — his profile as a left-sided attacking midfielder, capable of playing on the wing or as a No.10, mirrors Matheus Cunha, United’s signing last summer. If the club are to sanction a big-money raid for a new weapon in Michael Carrick’s forward line, a player with a different skillset to the exiting players, such as Diomande, would be a far more effective way to strengthen the squad. Featured image Dan Mullan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Darragh Fox Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.