Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Morgan Rogers' friendship with his new club-mate Cole Palmer goes back a long way - and actually inspired the latter's famous 'cold' goal celebration.

Palmer first performed it in December 2023, after scoring two goals in a 3-2 win at Luton, and he has since taken ownership of the celebration, registering a trademark for it with the UK Intellectual Property Office.

However, it was first meant as a tribute to Rogers, as he had performed the celebration after scoring a goal for Middlesbrough against West Brom.

It was after moving from his local club West Brom to Manchester City that Rogers first struck up a friendship with Palmer. Both were 16 years old and soon starred in attack for City's FA Youth Cup-winning under-18 side in 2020.

Palmer is not the only familiar face Rogers will encounter at Stamford Bridge though.

He already knows Levi Colwill and Reece James through the England set-up, while Tosin Adarabioyo, Jamie Gittens, Romeo Lavia and Liam Delap all came through City's academy system.

There is, however, the more important issue of football and where Rogers fits into the team, especially given Palmer is a similar type of player.

Rogers was among the players selected by England manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of Palmer for this summer's World Cup, but their versatility means they can either play together or in each other's position.

One source suggests Rogers will primarily play on the left, with Palmer operating centrally as a number 10. That would leave Estevao Willian, Pedro Neto and new signing Geovany Quenda competing for places on the right - and Jamie Gittens as his understudy.

Chelsea are likely to use a back four at times next season, but they are also exploring a back-three system, which Xabi Alonso used to devastating effect when winning the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.

That could allow Palmer and Rogers to play together as dual number 10s, while wingers would be asked to operate in deeper wing-back roles.

Read the full article here

Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth have rejected a £64m bid from Chelsea for midfielder Alex Scott.

The Cherries made it clear to the Blues that any further approaches would not be welcomed and that they intend to keep hold of one of their star players.

However, it remains a difficult situation for the club as the England Under-21 international has rejected a new contract that has been on the table for at least two months.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City also expressed an interest in Scott earlier in the window.

Chelsea are also interested in signing England defender John Stones on a free transfer following his departure from Manchester City.

The west London side have joined Inter Milan in considering a move for the 32-year-old, who became a free agent when his City contract expired at the end of June.

Chelsea are also in talks to sign Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix while assessing other options in the market, including Como's Jacobo Ramon.

Image source, Getty Images

New Chelsea signing Morgan Rogers says he is "really excited" about "where the club is heading" under new manager Xabi Alonso.

The Blues completed the signing of England midfielder Rogers from Aston Villa for a British record transfer fee of £117m on Monday.

It had been widely expected that Rogers, who was Villa's most prized asset, would be available only for an English transfer record fee, but many expected Arsenal to be the frontrunners.

However, Chelsea had been tracking Rogers for more than two years and had quietly made him their top attacking target with a combined effort involving the club's sporting directors, Alonso and co-owner Behdad Eghbali helping to secure a deal.

"I'm so excited," Rogers said on the move.

"For me, Chelsea are the biggest club in London and a club I've always admired since I was a kid.

"I'm really excited about the project with the new manager, the players we've got and where the club is heading. That's why I'm here and I can't wait to get started.

"The way the club wants to go and how it wants to move forward, it's something I want to be a part of and I think it was just perfect for me.

"I'm a free spirit, free-flowing footballer. I like to take risks, make things happen, change games. Whatever that may take. Just can't wait to get started."

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have released their new 2026-27 away kit, which is black with a yellow trim.

The yellow, called "Midwest Gold lustre" by the club, is also the trim on the new home kit and the two kits are also linked with the laurel wreath motif on the home shirt also bordering the round neck and sleeve cuffs of the away shirt, and appearing on the away kit's golden socks.

On each of the shirt's shoulders there is also an engineered rib of gold.

The new kit will first see action during Chelsea's upcoming pre-season tour to Australia and Asia.

Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are all plotting a move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, 28, but the Old Trafford hierarchy do not want to sell him to another English club. (The I - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

Image source, Getty Images

So, in the biggest transfer shock of the summer so far, Chelsea have completed a club record £117m deal to sign England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.

The 23-year-old has signed a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with an option for a further year.

Rogers told club media: "I'm joining the biggest club in London.

"The way the club wants to go and how it wants to move forward is something I want to be a part of. I think it was just perfect for me. I just can't wait to get going."

Rogers becomes the most expensive signing in Chelsea's history, surpassing the £107m spent on Enzo Fernandez in 2023, and sets a new transfer record for an English player.

We want your reaction to a huge signing.

Where does he fit into Xabi Alonso's plans? Was it a priority position? And what should come next in Chelsea's busy summer?

Let us know here

Chelsea have accelerated their interest in defender Maxence Lacroix after a fresh round of talks with Crystal Palace.

The proposed deal is being handled by the ownership of both clubs, with the latest discussions described as positive.

Palace have been keen to offer Lacroix - who has three years to run on his existing deal - a new contract, but the player is keen for a new challenge.

It is understood The Eagles want a deal worth a minimum £60m for the 26-year-old and have started looking at potential replacements, with Ausburg's Chrislain Matsima among the players monitored.

Read more

Image source, Getty Images

Thirty-four years ago a £13m transfer caused national outrage in Italy.

When AC Milan signed Gianluigi Lentini from Torino in 1992 for a then world record fee, newspapers called the deal "obscene", while the Vatican's official newspaper described it as "an offence against the dignity of work".

Today that fee would barely register among the Premier League's biggest transfers.

This summer alone Chelsea have agreed a club record £117m deal for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent a club record £100m on Sandro Tonali.

These are not the only major deals. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.

It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings - and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.

During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.

So why are transfer fees continuing to climb? Why are clubs paying record sums for players already playing in England? And why are more clubs willing to sell some of their biggest stars?

Read more here on the big spending taking place in the Premier League

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea would accept a £65m for Nicolas Jackson this summer, despite the striker being given the chance to impress new manager Xabi Alonso during pre-season.

Last week, the 44-year-old Spaniard said Jackson would join the tour of Australia and Asia after being part of Senegal's World Cup squad this summer.

It follows Bayern Munich avoiding the triggering the £56.25m (€65m) obligation-to-buy clause in his loan deal, due to the number of appearances required to force a permanent move, leading Jackson back to Stamford Bridge.

Alonso will consider forward, but there is the obvious need to reduce the number of strikers on the books.

Alongside first-choice Joao Pedro, Chelsea have Liam Delap, who is facing an uncertain future but wants to stay to show his first season was impacted by injury and substantial managerial changes.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Emegha has joined the Blues from partner club Strasbourg, but the surprise failure to qualify for Europe has left plans to have three strikers in doubt.

It leaves Chelsea facing a balancing act in attack, with younger option Marc Guiu expected to be loaned out or sold. One interested club says they were quoted a fee of £25m for the Spain under-21 international.

Jackson, meanwhile, is expected to command a fee well in excess of double that amount, given his previous success in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino in his first season after joining the club from Villarreal.

Aston Villa are known admirers, with manager Unai Emery having worked with him at his previous club, while there is also interest from overseas.

However, the size of any potential transfer fee, which isn't being disclosed yet, alongside Alonso's desire to assess his options, means the future of Jackson and the other striking options may not be resolved imminently.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia will give new manager Xabi Alonso the chance to better understand his squad, while allowing the players to get to know him.

Now into the second week of his tenure, the 44-year-old Spaniard has already worked with a sizeable group at Cobham.

However, he has yet to see those involved in this summer's World Cup and will benefit from spending more time with the full squad.

There are also plenty of unanswered questions - not just for fans and the media, but for the players themselves.

Some, such as Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, know they are 'untouchable' and are expected to play major roles. Others, including goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, remain involved but are planning to leave, either permanently or on loan.

However, a large number remain uncertain about their futures as Chelsea continue efforts to reduce a squad that is approaching 40 players.

That task has become even more pressing with the anticipated arrival of Morgan Rogers, who is is set to join Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda and Marco Palestra as the latest summer signing.

The Blues also need to continue generating sales, with midfielder Valentin Barco set to join partner club Strasbourg. Chelsea are also pursuing a new centre-back, with Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix among the targets, and a new full-back amid talks for Rayo Vallecano's Pep Chavarria.

For some players, it is a case of impress or leave.

The tour may also provide clues as to whether Alonso will favour the back-three system he used at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga title, or a back four, which he used more frequently during his brief spell at Real Madrid.

Much remains unclear after Alonso's first news conference last week, but the tour will give reporters a closer look at Chelsea while offering supporters a glimpse of what to expect on the pitch.

Opta have named their World Cup Team of the Tournament.

A host of familiar names feature, including Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez. Key names to depart both Arsenal and Chelsea this summer also make the list.

Opta explained the selections as follows:

Martinez - "Martínez led his country's backline in passes (460) and accurate passes (427) while he became the only Argentine defender on record to score and assist in a FIFA World Cup game (v Cabo Verde)."

Cucurella - "Cucurella led the way for full-backs for successful final third passes (142) and successful passes (382) and was second for touches in the opposition box (19)."

Rodri - "The Spanish midfielder registered the most accurate passes (756), most carries (164) and most line-breaking passes (122) in the competition while that haul of 756 successful passes is the most ever in an edition of the World Cup on record."

Trossard - "As well as scoring two and assisting two, no player created more chances from open play than Trossard (17) at the 2026 FIFA World Cup."

Haaland - "Haaland averaged a goal every 17.1 touches at the 2026 World Cup (120 touches, 7 goals), the second fewest on record (since 1966) for a player to score five or more at a single tournament after Oleg Salenko in 1994 (16.7 – 100 touches, 6 goals)."

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea had 11 players involved at the World Cup, but only seven played in the tournament.

Key players Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Joao Pedro were left out of their respective squads and have already returned for pre-season training.

The greatest concern has been the fitness of captain Reece James, who played into the latter stages of the tournament after helping England reach the third-place play-off, but suffered hamstring issues.

Enzo Fernandez, who was sent off in the final against Spain, and Malo Gusto are set to return late for pre-season, along with expected new signing Valentin Barco.

England midfielder Morgan Rogers is set to arrive at Chelsea from Aston Villa for that club record £117m deal, though international team-mate Trevoh Chalobah is expected to leave this summer.

Much like Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal knocked England out of the European Championship in 2006, Fernandez may find his antics in and around Argentina's victory over England will make him a target for opposition fans next season should he stay with Chelsea.

Read more on the World Cup's club impact

Morgan Rogers has been a Chelsea target for more than two years, although the move coming now is something of a surprise given the club's 10th-placed Premier League finish last season.

The deal underlines the club's ability to bounce back from missing out on European football to sign a top target for London rivals Arsenal.

It also suggests Stamford Bridge remains an attractive destination for some of the Premier League's leading talents.

The pressing question, though, is how Rogers will fit into the side, and what impact his arrival will have on star attacker Cole Palmer.

Rogers was one of the three England players to take a place in Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad at Palmer's expense.

That highlighted the similarities between the pair, but they could also play together, depending on the system employed by new manager Alonso.

The Spaniard has previously used both a back four and back five at his former clubs Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, and there remains uncertainty over his preferred approach just weeks into his tenure.

Rogers and Palmer are both capable of operating in a variety of attacking positions and will compete for minutes with Estevao Willian, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens and fellow summer signing Geovany Quenda.

Alejandro Garnacho is being sold to make way, but it remains a hefty group of options for a club playing only one game per week next season.

Off the pitch, Rogers and Palmer have described each other as best friends in football after progressing through Manchester City's academy together.

Palmer's famous "Cold Palmer" celebration was inspired by Rogers, who first did the pose as a Middlesbrough player.

The move may prompt further debate over ownership of the celebration, which has been trademarked in the UK's Intellectual Property Office.

There will also be debate about who plays the number 10 role, yet it is a problem Alonso is likely to welcome.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Enzo Fernandez's 2026 World Cup ended in misery as the Chelsea midfielder was sent off in Argentina's final defeat to Spain.

The 25-year-old had already been booked for showing dissent towards referee Slavko Vincic when he made a poor challenge on Pau Cubarsi in the last minute of normal time.

Fernandez was subsequently sent off and received Argentina's first red card at a World Cup since 2006.

BBC co-commentator Alan Shearer said: "How daft is that from Enzo Fernandez?

"He is on a yellow card for dissent, not the tackle, but for dissent. He knows that, because that didn't happen long ago. For him to go into a challenge like that is crazy.

"He can protest as much as he wants, but it's the right decision. He gave the referee only one choice, and that was to show another yellow there for the red."

Fernandez had played a key role in helping his nation reach the final where they had the chance to defend their world title.

He will now have three weeks to rest and recover, as per Fifa guidelines, before returning to Stamford Bridge for the new 2026-27 Premier League season under new manager Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea kick off the new season at Fulham on Monday, 24 August.

European champions Spain broke the resistance of 10-man Argentina in extra-time to win their second ever World Cup in New Jersey.

Barcelona's Ferran Torres was the difference maker in what was an overall disappointing final that was littered with interruptions.

Spain created the best opportunities against the defending world champions, who mainly resorted to spoiling tactics and had Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez sent off just before the game went into extra time.

Torres was the hero for Spain when he collected substitute Nico Williams' header to beat Argentina and Aston Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez with a powerful shot from close range after 106 minutes.

Seven Premier League players will now return to their five respective clubs for the new 2026-27 season having won the biggest honour in world football.

Chelsea have held formal talks with Crystal Palace over a move for France defender Maxence Lacroix with the Eagles valuing the 26-year-old at around £55m. (Talksport), external

Bologna's 23-year-old English winger Jonathan Rowe remains on Aston Villa and Chelsea's shortlists. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Aston Villa have held talks with Chelsea over the possibility of signing both Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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