Big Plymouth Argyle, Lorent Tolaj transfer prediction issued - 'he's that good' | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle ace Lorent Tolaj appears set to attract plenty of transfer interest this summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Plymouth Argyle ace Lorent Tolaj appears set to attract plenty of transfer interest in the summer, having notched 12 goals and four assists in 23 League One appearances this season.

The striker only joined Argyle from Port Vale last August, and he has gone on to prove himself as one of the best goalscorers in the third tier.

Despite the 24-year-old's prolific efforts, the Pilgrims sit just 14th in the League One table, behind Devon rivals Exeter City on goal difference.

However, thanks to the congested nature of the third tier this term, Tom Cleverley's men remain just six points adrift of the final play-off spot, currently occupied by Huddersfield Town.

Lorent Tolaj £8m claim made as striker excels for Plymouth Argyle

Tolaj has notched four goal contributions in his last four appearances across all competitions, including an assist in Argyle's 1-0 win over Peterborough United last Saturday.

As the striker continues excelling, Football League World asked our Plymouth fan pundit, Luke Hodge, what price tag he would place on the former Port Vale man in the summer transfer window.

Hodge said: "We all know he's going to be gone in the summer. He's going to have a number of clubs after him, because he's quality. What would I like for him? I think he's definitely worth a minimum of around £5million, but, realistically, I believe he will have a release clause in his contract, which is more than likely to be probably £2.5m, somewhere around that mark, which is disappointing given the quality of the player.

"However, it's still double what we paid for him, and it's something that we're quite used to down at Argyle. It's not confirmed, but if he has got a release clause of £2.5-3m, it is what it is. But if we're able to get in a bit of a bidding war with a number of clubs after his services, then I don't see why the fee couldn't get between around £5m to even £8m. He's that good.

"But I'm sure he'll be leaving Argyle this summer, and it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up going for around the £2m-£2.5m mark, which is disappointing, and it's really cheap for the quality of player that someone's going to be getting. But double our money and we move on."

Plymouth must win promotion to have any chance of keeping Lorent Tolaj

As summarised by Hodge, Tolaj is a very talented player who could recoup a very handsome transfer fee for a League One star in the summer.

Therefore, Plymouth's only realistic chance of retaining the striker is by sealing an immediate return to the Championship, even though they sit just four points above the third-tier relegation zone.

Landing a play-off spot is not out of the question for Argyle, especially if Tolaj retains his clinical form throughout the business end of the season.

If Cleverley's side win promotion to the Championship via the play-offs, they may be able to retain the prolific 24-year-old. However, with promotion remaining to feel something of a pipe dream for Plymouth, fans are already resigned to the striker's exit in the summer.