Middlesbrough launch £5m bid to try beat Burnley to Plymouth Argyle star | OneFootball

The Pilgrims winger has scored just three goals in the Championship this season after an incredible 2023/24 campaign.

Middlesbrough have launched a bid for Plymouth Argyle star Morgan Whittaker with two weeks to go in the January transfer window.

That's according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, who has stated that Michael Carrick's side have offered around £5m plus add-ons for the winger, with the Pilgrims wanting £10m.

The 24-year-old has scored just three league goals for the Devonshire outfit this season, after enjoying an incredible 2023/24 campaign, in which he scored 20 goals in all competitions as he helped his team survive on the final day of the Championship season.

Middlesbrough are making a push for the play-offs, and they are looking for even more firepower up front to help them in their battle, with inconsistency plaguing them at the moment.

Middlesbrough bid for Plymouth's Whittaker

Boro are looking to bring the Derby-born forward to the Riverside this January, with the Teessiders currently 7th in the Championship table.

Plymouth are struggling at the very bottom of the division, and Whittaker may be looking for an exit before his side are relegated to League One - two years after winning promotion.

As per Nixon's report, Middlesbrough's offer starts around the halfway mark of Plymouth's £10m asking price with add-ons, as they look to try and beat Burnley to the signature of the winger.

The Clarets have had a bid of their own rejected for Whittaker, and it will be incredibly interesting to see if they return in the coming days.

Carrick is looking to strengthen his forward line in the event that Ben Doak is recalled by Liverpool, while there continues to be interest in striker Emmanuel Latte Lath from both the Premier League and abroad.

Whittaker may be looking for a quick Plymouth exit

It's been an incredibly difficult season for Argyle, and supporters will be hoping that their talisman from the last two seasons will continue to help their fight against relegation. However, with the outlook a negative one for Plymouth, it may be harder to keep hold of Whittaker this season.

They rejected a bid from Lazio last January, and it was a decision that ultimately paid off as the Pilgrims held onto their Championship status, but with the 24-year-old's record in front of goal suffering in 2024/25, now may be the time to let go.

Whittaker's ambitions are greater than that of another season in League One, and without a drastic upturn in his own form, it looks unlikely that he could provide the goals needed to keep Plymouth in the Championship once again.

However, with the substantial bid that has come in from Middlesbrough , the correct call could be to sell the attacker and use that money to improve the core of the squad.