Middlesbrough must be licking their lips given Aston Villa agreement | OneFootball

Boro could soon be in line for a windfall if Morgan Rogers keeps up his performance levels

Middlesbrough could be in line for a substantial payday if Morgan Rogers continues to perform as he has for Aston Villa.

The 22-year-old signed for the Villans in February 2024 for an initial fee of £8million.

Rogers has quickly risen to become one of the most important players at Villa Park and one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League.

Due to a clause inserted into the deal by Boro, they’ll be looking at his progress with glee as it could produce another payday for the club.

Rogers’ shock progress could hugely benefit Boro

It was something of a shock when Villa made a mid-season move for Rogers, with the player having a decent but not amazing Championship season, registering two goals and six assists.

He adjusted well to Premier League life in the second half of the season, but the doubters were truly silenced this season, with the player having netted 11 goals and provided six assists in 33 appearances across the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

His performances have brought him into the England squad conversation, picking up two caps so far, which has itself already provided more funds to Boro through a particular clause.

But Boro have inserted what is termed a ‘big’ sell-on clause in Rogers’ Villa deal, which could wind up being worth a whole lot more should his progress continue on the same trajectory.

Rogers windfall will depend on one crucial, yet uncertain, factor

However, one crucial obstacle, that Boro can have no impact on, is that for the clause to be worth anything, Rogers must, of course, be sold.

Rogers has just signed a long-term deal that will keep him at Villa Park until 2030, at a club that are in the Champions League and performing well again in the Premier League.

Add those factors together, and you have a player and a club likely in no rush to move anywhere. Everyone has a price, but in the age of stringent financial regulations, Rogers’ current situation may make him prohibitively expensive to almost any club.

The one upside for Boro is that any club with deep enough pockets tempted to try will be putting an astronomical amount of money down, only increasing the kickback they’d be in line for.

Boro have looked to reactivate the City pipeline

Having picked up Rogers for just £1million in the summer of 2023 and having him at the club for just over six months, Boro have already profited to the tune of 10 times their original outlay.

It is no shock, therefore, to see them attempt to dip back into the same market more recently, this time taking Micah Hamilton from the Sky Blues’ academy, for the slightly more significant fee of £2million, which could rise as high as £5million if certain clauses are met.

Hamilton hasn’t had quite as rapid a start, currently on loan at League One Stockport County to try and kickstart himself in senior football, but there is still plenty of time for the 21-year-old to find his feet.

Boro will be hoping for a repeat of Rogers, though, who they’ll still have a very keen eye on in the hope of further profit from their sell-on clause.