Liverpool risks being left behind as Chelsea acts fast in $158M transfer

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Liverpool's transfer business is yet to kick into life, as Premier League rival Chelsea threatens to leave the Reds behind in the market ahead of the new season.Liverpool risks being left behind as Chelsea is closing in on a deal to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa(Image: (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images))As the transfer window kickstarts into life, Liverpool risks being left behind already, with Premier League rivals making moves that threaten to impact Andoni Iraola's first campaign in charge.The Reds have made two signings so far, with Jeremy Jacquet joining after a fee was agreed earlier this year with Rennes for the defender, while Victor Munoz also made the switch from Osasuna to bolster the options available to the new head coach.It's unclear just how much those stars will move the needle for the team overall, as the club looks to improve on what was a difficult Premier League campaign last time out.There are other key areas that need to be addressed before a true judgement can be made on the transfer window for Liverpool, most notably a replacement for Mohamed Salah in the frontline, before a possible midfield addition and another arrival in the backline.So far, those moves haven't accelerated at any great pace, which risks leaving the Merseyside outfit behind while moves elsewhere in the market are ramping up.That's because, according to The Athletic, Premier League rival Chelsea has agreed a deal to sign Aston Villa and England ace Morgan Rogers.The playmaker, 23, has agreed to join the Blues after settling on a fee worth $158 million, which puts him among the most-expensive signings in the league's history - just shy of Liverpool's record-breaking deal to sign Alexander Isak last summer.Aston Villa have reached a British record agreement with Chelsea for Morgan Rogers.(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)It's a deal that sets a standard from Chelsea, who is looking to burst back into the Champions League next season after a disappointing campaign last time out.Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is in charge at Stamford Bridge, despite plenty of links to the job at Anfield, and he will be aiming to get the team back where they believe they belong.For the Reds, it threatens to leave the team behind, as they don't have the same type of reinforcements within the forward ranks over the course of the summer transfer window so far.There may be some hope that Liverpool won't need quite as much work done across Iraola's roster compared to Alonso's, considering where both teams finished last season and the player's currently available to both manager's.The new Reds boss will likely need to extract maximum value out of those who joined last summer to prove that right, however, given the huge spend on stars who failed to live up to their price tag - be it through injury or general adjustment to the division.That said, a wide player like Rogers will certainly be needed, though that will be on the right side rather than the left, with his move potentially dictating the type of market value other teams place on their own stars.It remains to be seen how that move could impact Liverpool's own business, with some additions certainly needed as the market starts to ramp up across different quarters.