Plymouth Argyle slammed for Lorent Tolaj transfer news - Derby County, Rangers FC can land 'absolute steal' | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle striker Lorent Tolaj has attracted transfer interest from Scottish Premiership side Rangers and several Championship clubs

Plymouth Argyle star striker Lorent Tolaj has continued to gain transfer suitors ahead of the summer window.

The 24-year-old only joined Argyle from Port Vale last summer, but the Devon outfit appear increasingly unlikely to retain his services after he notched 21 goals and eight assists in 35 appearances across all competitions this season.

Despite Tolaj's impressive attacking exploits and those of strike partner Bim Pepple, Tom Cleverley's men failed to finish in the League One play-offs.

Plymouth are more likely to lose their key assets this summer, having missed out on an immediate Championship return following last year's relegation.

Lorent Tolaj transfer suitors told Plymouth Argyle star could be worth around £10m

Tolaj enjoyed a particularly rich vein of form at the end of the League One season, scoring four goals and producing four assists in his last six games.

Meanwhile, according to Football Insider, Plymouth have set a £5million asking price amid transfer interest from Rangers in Tolaj.

The Light Blues are keen to strengthen their attacking ranks this summer, having already been condemned to a third-place finish in the Scottish Premiership thanks to Sunday's defeat to Celtic.

Amid Rangers' interest in the former Port Vale man, Alan Nixon has revealed via Patreon that Sheffield United, Preston North End, and Leicester City have all eyed Tolaj.

However, the Foxes' relegation to League One should rule them out of signing the talented 24-year-old, although Derby County have also been linked.

Meanwhile, following the news that Tolaj's price tag has been set at £5m, Football League World asked our Plymouth fan pundit, Luke Hodge, if that was a fair valuation of the striker, and if he sees a lot of clubs being all over it.

Hodge told FLW: "Anybody who buys Lorent Tolaj for £5m have got themselves an absolute steal because he's worth, in my opinion, almost double that.

"I know we're never going to get £10m for him, or very unlikely to get £10m for him, playing in League One. Apart from Jay Stansfield and Birmingham last year, those sorts of figures don't get banded about in League One very often.

"Normally it's around the £3m mark. But to get Lorent Tolaj at £5m, his valuation will be triple that in two years, at least, in my opinion, because the trajectory is on the up.

"He scores goals wherever he goes. His attributes are fantastic. He's a workhorse, he's full of quality, and his age. He's only 24 years old, so at that price, there's going to be a ridiculous amount of clubs that are going to be willing to pay £5m for Lorent Tolaj.

"That's where I hope it does get into a bit of a bidding war, because I think there is potential to push that up some more. But he's a seriously good player, and good luck to him if he does want to go on to bigger and better things because he deserves it.

"He's a great player. I know we've got three years left on his contract and there are no clauses, but I would very much doubt we would stand in his way if he wanted to go on to better himself and to bigger challenges.

"I just hope that Plymouth Argyle get the money that they deserve from Lorent Tolaj because he is their biggest asset. I just hope that we don't get done over in terms of price, which we have (on) many occasions in the past."

Plymouth have very little chance of retaining Lorent Tolaj despite Tom Cleverley optimism

As summarised by Hodge, Tolaj is an increasingly prolific striker and a transfer fee of £5m could prove to be a bargain for whichever club gets their hands on the former Port Vale man.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old is not the only Argyle forward who has attracted suitors ahead of the summer transfer window, as Pepple has been eyed by Norwich City, Portsmouth, Watford, and Lincoln City, according to the Daily Mail.

However, discussing whether the Pilgrims could retain Tolaj and Pepple, Cleverley told Plymouth Live: "It's certainly realistic.

"I worked in the Championship (at Watford) for almost 18 months. There are not that many clubs that have got cash at their disposal to the extent of the fees that we will be looking for.

"So it's realistic, the players have got long contracts. It's the way modern-day football is, of rumour, of speculation, but ultimately they have had a great season, and they deserve to be linked with higher levels.

"But they are in long-term contracts, and there aren’t that many clubs outside the Premier League that have those sort of fees to spend. They are our players until my phone goes, or Derek (Adams, director of football), or Paul (Berne, CEO) or Simon’s (Hallett, chairman) phone goes. Let’s see."

Despite Cleverley's claim, though, it seems increasingly likely that an interested party will jump at the chance to sign Tolaj for £5m.