Plymouth Argyle's Morgan Whittaker stance must be clear as Burnley and Middlesbrough battle | OneFootball

The Greens could benefit from the Championship duo's interest in their star man, with his price tag likely to rise as a result

For the third transfer window in a row, Plymouth Argyle are left to fend off advances for Morgan Whittaker, with Middlesbrough the latest side to make their interest known earlier this month.

The Teessiders are said to have tabled a £5 million bid for the left-footed ace, following in the footsteps of Burnley, who had a bid of their own rejected in the current transfer window, following on from the Clarets’ offers back in the summer.

While the goals have dried up for the Argyle forward of late, there is no questioning that he can still dish up spectacular moments out of the blue on his day, and the Pilgrims will be doing all they can to get their due compensation should he leave the club in the coming weeks, with the Home Park outfit said to value their player closer to £10 million.

With that in mind, Simon Hallett and the Argyle hierarchy will be playing hardball once again this January, and ramp up the price for one of the stars of the southwest if they are to let him leave.

Plymouth Argyle need to stand firm amid Morgan Whittaker interest

Transfer addict Alan Nixon announced on Monday that Boro had sent an offer Argyle’s way for Whittaker, with the Teessiders reportedly offering £5 million up front as well as add-ons for the 24-year-old, who has scored just three league goals all season for the struggling Pilgrims.

But since then, Football League World has exclusively broken the news that the Home Park side are set to turn away the advances from Michael Carrick’s side, with the play-off chasers failing to meet the price tag demanded for the forward.

While it is no guarantee that the former Swansea City man will stay at the club past the transfer deadline on February 3, Argyle need to make sure they get what they think they deserve from a player who can light up the division when given the platform to do so.

With Burnley also sniffing around, Hallett and his honchos could be in prime position this winter to drive up the price for their forward, with the pair potentially set to battle it out for the 24-year-old’s signature, and thus drive up the asking price as a result.

While Whittaker has given the Green Army plenty of happy memories in the past, his performances for the last 12 months have been nothing short of sub-standard, and the possibility of bringing in fresh blood with the money received must be tempting, especially with new boss Miron Muslic arriving earlier this month.

Plymouth Argyle will want to avoid Michael Cooper repeat with Morgan Whittaker

With Argyle’s valuation of Whittaker said to be an eight-figure fee, the last thing they want to do is to be forced into accepting an offer worth half of that, with their mistakes of the summer firmly in their minds.

There was plenty of speculation surrounding goalkeeper Michael Cooper and his valuation during the off-season, with the shot-stopper regarded as one of the best players between the sticks in the division.

As such, the Greens would have expected a hefty fee for their academy graduate, but were left to accept a £2 million bid from Sheffield United, with £2 million expected in add-ons, when many of the Green Army expected a much larger fee for such a bright talent.

They cannot afford to make the same mistake with Whittaker, but with relegation a distinct possibility come May, this may be the last time they get to sell the player for a sizeable sum, with a drop down to League One likely to slash his price tag by a considerable amount.

There is plenty more to come from this scenario between now the transfer deadline, so Plymouth Argyle fans better strap in and get ready for the ride, because there could well be a bidding war on their hands, with Whittaker’s future as unclear as it has ever been.