Middlesbrough's Morgan Rogers is one of the most dynamic and sought-after attacking midfielders in Europe after an eye-catching few seasons under Unai Emery. Manchester City do not hold a buy-back option for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, despite having sold the England international earlier in his career. Rogers came through the Manchester City academy before departing the Etihad Stadium without a senior appearance, joining Middlesbrough in July 2023. Six months on, the England international moved to Aston Villa, where he has since established himself as one of the most productive attacking midfielders in the Premier League. The absence of a buy-back clause simply means City will have to do this the hard way – competing on the open market against a number of Europe's biggest clubs. Whoever goes on to win the race for Rogers will need to convince Aston Villa to sell a player they want to keep, meeting a valuation that reflects just how far Rogers has come since leaving the Etihad Stadium without a single senior appearance to his name. Rogers scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists for Villa in all competitions last season – numbers that make him one of the most exciting players in the Premier League. The fact that the transfer was structured via Middlesbrough as an intermediary step means no such mechanism exists, leaving City in the same position as Arsenal, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United, who have all been reported to be monitoring Rogers' situation. Villa are understood to have no desire to sell and hold the England international under contract until 2031 – a combination that gives Emery's side maximum leverage in any negotiations. Rogers himself is not pushing for a move and retains a close relationship with the Villa coaching staff following the club's UEFA Europa League triumph in the recent season. It is, in every sense, the most expensive kind of regret in modern football.