West Ham United approach Middlesbrough to hijack £32.5 million deal for Morgan Rogers in a last-ditch move.
The newspaper reported in its print edition [28 January, page 63] that the Hammers failed in a late bid for Rogers, paving the way for him to join Villa.
As a result, David Moyes’ team has dropped its interest in the winger, with Boro requesting a high asking price due to a sell-on provision in his contract that would allow Manchester City to profit from his departure.
It appears to be a busy finale to the January transfer window in East London. Firstly, a loan agreement for Kalvin Phillips has been completed, but bids for players such as Rogers demonstrate the ambition demonstrated at the London Stadium at this late point.
With deadline day on 1 February swiftly approaching, there is a sense of urgency to bolster Moyes’ club in order to offer them the best chance of success this season.
Rogers would have been an exciting addition to the London Stadium, having scored two goals and supplied six assists in 26 Championship appearances this season, as well as five goals and two assists in Boro’s Carabao Cup semi-final run.
However, after failing to hijack the Aston Villa trade, West Ham must now concentrate their attention elsewhere. They plan to target multiple names when the opportunity closes, with a new attacker at the top of their list.
