Arsenal pulled out of Morgan Rogers transfer over key demand before Chelsea hijack

Arsenal will not pursue a move for Morgan Rogers after Chelsea's British record bid of £117 million was accepted by Aston Villa, it has been reported.

The Gunners have been heavily linked with Rogers throughout the summer months and were seen as favourites to secure his signature.

A complication has existed in the form of Rogers' involvement at the World Cup with England, and any move was expected to be completed after he returns home.

But The Athletic reported on Saturday evening that terms had been agreed on a stunning move to Chelsea, which will exceed the £116m that Manchester City paid to sign Elliot Anderson earlier this month.

It is claimed that a six-year contract, with the option of a seventh, has been agreed with the Blues, and that Rogers will complete a medical on Monday.

READ MORE: Aston Villa immediately target two World Cup stars as Morgan Rogers agrees record Chelsea move

Now, Fabrizio Romano has revealed further details behind the transfer saga - including how close Arsenal came to signing the 23-year-old.

He claims that Arsenal had 'almost agreed' a contract with Rogers, and that their pursuit of Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis did not affect a move for the England international.

Instead, Romano says that Gunners chiefs were planning talks with Aston Villa next week over a fee for Rogers - before Chelsea cut in at the last minute.

Arsenal reportedly did not want to pay close to the £117m fee that Chelsea have bid for Rogers, and instead were holding out for Villa - who wanted a fee in excess of nine figures - to accept a sum in the region of £90-100m.

"What happened in the last 24 hours is that Chelsea entered the deal in a very strong, strong way," Romano stated on his YouTube channel.

"Chelsea had a direct meeting with Aston Villa. This direct meeting was very strong by Chelsea, because they wanted to close the deal immediately. Chelsea arrived with an idea to get the player, not to start a negotiation.

"So I say a pre-hijack, because it was preparing for what was going to happen with Arsenal. Officially, Arsenal did not bid. But Arsenal were going to bid. That's the situation.

"Chelsea will pay £117 million for Morgan Rogers, and to give a six-year deal with the option of a further season - a higher number than the number compared to what Arsenal wanted to offer.

"Xabi Alonso was calling Morgan Rogers, he was involved in the direct conversation with the player. So Chelsea were very fast to close everything immediately. The deal is done."

Who will Arsenal sign instead of Rogers?

As previously reported, the Gunners are closing in on a £35m move to sign former Norwich winger Tzolis from Club Brugge.

The Greece international will replace Leandro Trossard after his move to Besiktas - and their continued interest in Rogers suggests that another attacker could still join the club.

BBC Sport reported in June that PSG winger Bradley Barcola was placed on the Gunners' radar as an alternative to Rogers should that move not proceed.

The France winger, 23, has also been linked with Liverpool and is currently playing at the World Cup.

There is no indication that the Gunners have made contact with Barcola's representatives at this stage over a potential deal with PSG.