Exclusive: Plymouth Argyle in transfer talks to raid Port Vale | OneFootball

Argyle are hoping to secure a deal for the Valiants' Ronan Curtis, FLW can reveal

Plymouth Argyle are in talks over the signing of Ronan Curtis from fellow League One outfit, Port Vale, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

It has been an extremely frustrating campaign in the third tier for both Argyle and the Valiants, although supporters of the latter will, unsurprisingly, be feeling way more concerned about what the remainder of the season holds for their side as they sit at the foot of the table at the beginning of 2026.

Last term, the Devon and North Staffordshire sides found themselves two divisions apart, before the Green Army endured a relegation from the Championship ahead of Tom Cleverley's subsequent Home Park appointment, whilst Darren Moore initially returned the Vale Park club immediately back to League One through an automatic promotion campaign.

However, this term has gone far worse than imagined for those in the Midlands, and having pulled the plug on Moore's stint in Burslem after a 5-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town on December 29th, owner Carol Shanahan has since turned to former Northampton Town boss, Jon Brady, as the man who she hopes can help the struggling side reconsolidate their position in the division against all odds.

The 50-year-old has been handed an 18-month contract, and his tenure is set to commence on Friday evening when League Two side, Fleetwood Town, travel down the M6 for an FA Cup third round clash at Vale Park.

However, whilst it remains to be seen if said fixture will go ahead due to disruptive weather in Staffordshire, the Australian could be set to receive an immediate and unwelcome blow to the club's survival chances, as Cleverley's men plot a second high-profile transfer raid from the Vale squad in just a matter of months.

Plymouth Argyle in talks to sign Ronan Curtis from Port Vale

Argyle appear to have recently turned a corner under the previously under-fire Cleverley, winning four of their past seven league outings - a run which has propelled them out of the relegation zone for the time being, although they are far from over the hill on this particular front.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder, who previously oversaw matters in charge of Watford until his controversial end-of-season dismissal last term, was able to recruit 15 new signings in his maiden transfer window at Home Park - 12 of which were on a permanent basis.

However, they saw one of those depart at the start of the current transfer window when Championship side, Middlesbrough, opted to recall England youth international and homegrown ace, Law McCabe from his loan stint after just 13 appearances.

In recent weeks, Argyle have deployed a 4-4-2 formation which has aligned with the aforementioned improvement in results, with Xavier Amaechi and Bali Mumba featuring on the right and left flanks respectively in their 3-0 success over Burton Albion on Sunday afternoon.

However, it appears as though Cleverley is not fully satisfied with the current depth at his disposal in wide areas, and Football League World understands that Argyle are in negotiations to acquire the services of the aforementioned Curtis, who is a seasoned campaigner at League One level.

The London-born wide player has been on the books at Vale Park since July 2024, where he penned a three-year contract after his prior contract with AFC Wimbledon expired.

In his first season with the Valiants, Curtis was able to accumulate five goals and as many assists as they came second in League Two behind Doncaster Rovers, whilst Swiss striker and current Argyle hotshot, Lorent Tolaj, grabbed the majority of headlines.

So far this season though, the seven-time Republic of Ireland international hasn't been able to have the same levels of impact, scoring just twice and posting as many assists in 19 league appearances - only seven of which have been starts.

However, he was able to showcase his full talent in the recent 5-1 rout against Blackpool at Vale Park, as he assisted Jayden Stockley for Vale's 54th-minute equaliser before also turning provider for Devante Cole ahead of his 94th-minute strike which rounded off the scoring.

Jon Brady has only just got his feet under the table at Vale Park, and no doubt he would be calling on the experience and ability of his senior players to help make a positive start to his tenure.

Yet, whilst his overall season hasn't fully gone to plan, the former Northampton boss would have pinpointed Curtis as one of those, although he may not get the chance to utilise his services after all.

As such, Vale supporters will certainly be frustrated that their divisional rivals have, once again, looked to inflict damage on their season, with the aforementioned Tolaj now on 15 goals for the Greens after his £1.2m switch in August.