Plymouth Argyle latest: Clubs circle Morgan Whittaker, Wayne Rooney claims, Tyreik Wright reflects on exit | OneFootball

All the latest from Devon as the Pilgrims prepare for the upcoming Championship campaign

Plymouth Argyle have flown out to Marbella to continue pre-season preparations, as the Wayne Rooney era continues to gather pace ahead of the 24/25 campaign.

The former Manchester United man welcomed his squad back to training last week, alongside new recruits Muhamed Tijani, Nathanael Ogbeta, and the returning Darko Gyabi.

Frontman Tijani and playmaker Gyabi joined the Greens on season-long loan deals from Slavia Prague and Leeds United respectively, while Ogbeta has signed a permanent deal with the club after leaving Championship rivals Swansea City.

As the new season edges ever close, here we take a look at the latest news coming out of Home Park, as preparation begins to step up a notch while the Pilgrims are in Spain.

Premier League duo among five clubs tracking Plymouth Argyle star man Morgan Whittaker

It was only a matter of time before interest started ramping back up for Morgan Whittaker this summer, with the Argyle talisman being tracked by a whole host of clubs during the off-season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford are said to be interested in the left-footed star, as well as Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Lazio, according to a report from Football Insider.

The Greens had to fend off interest from Brentford, Fulham and Lazio in the January transfer window, as they stuck a £15 million price tag on his head, in the hope of deterring any would-be suitors for the former Swansea City man.

It seemed to do the trick over the winter period, but six months on, plenty more sides are taking an interest in the forward, who netted 19 times in the Championship during the previous campaign.

The wide man also laid on eight more goals for his teammates as the Pilgrims maintained their status as a second tier club on the final day of the season, with his future anything but certain as the season-opener draws nearer.

Wayne Rooney responds to Morgan Whittaker interest

Having been Argyle boss for just over a month, Rooney is already facing a dilemma at the club, with the battle to keep hold his main marksman well underway.

The ex-England international has made his intentions clear on trying to keep hold of his former Derby County teammate this summer, after news of interest in Whittaker broke.

The Argyle boss said: “I'm sure there will be interest, I'm sure there will be bids for him, but from our point of view he's an Argyle player and I want to try and move forward with Morgan.

"Of course if you're getting crazy offers, as a club you have to look at that, but we want him here, we want him to be part of the squad.

"He's a fantastic player as we saw last season, but he's a really good human being as well.

"After Covid when you could go back in groups of two, I was training with Morgan in the first week, which wasn't easy at my age to try and keep up with him.

"But Morgan has come in, as everyone else has for pre-season training, trained really well with a smile on his face and he is a quality player, there's no getting beyond that."

Tyriek Wright has finally waved his goodbyes to Argyle after joining Bradford City on a permanent deal, having endured a miserable 18 months at the club since joining in January 2023.

The former Aston Villa man had rave reviews during a loan spell with the Bantams in the first half of the 22/23 campaign, but he failed to recreate that form after making the move to Devon.

In total, the Republic of Ireland youth international made just six starts during his time at Home Park, as he failed to get to grips with the higher levels of the EFL.

Instead, the forward rejoined City for the second-half of the previous campaign, where he netted twice in 14 games for the Yorkshire side, and looked altogether more at home at Valley Parade.

The 22-year-old has signed a two-year deal with the club, and upon signing had this to say to the Bantams’ official website: "I am absolutely buzzing. I came back on a second loan last season and felt at home again straight away. It was a no-brainer for me to come back here permanently this time.

"I had a great conversation with the gaffer - and other staff members - towards the end of the season, who said he would love to have me back, and I said I wanted to be here on a permanent basis. I am delighted to be back.

"I feel at home here with the lads and the staff, and I have always loved the fans here. I want to feel comfortable in the environment, and there is no better place for me than here.

"The gaffer has told me where he sees me playing, and I just want to play. I enjoyed playing at wing-back last season and I am ready to go."