"Far short" - Plymouth Argyle: Reaction given after Middlesbrough launch Morgan Whittaker bid | OneFootball

We asked our Plymouth Argyle fan pundit what he made of Middlesbrough's interest in Morgan Whittaker

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...

Middlesbrough have been told that their offer for Morgan Whittaker "falls far short" of what Plymouth Argyle will demand if they're to part ways with the 24-year-old this month.

As per Alan Nixon, Boro have offered £5 million plus add-ons to secure the signature of Whittaker from Championship basement boys Plymouth, which is just half of the £10 million that the Pilgrims want.

Fellow Championship sides Burnley and Hull City also hold an interest in Whittaker, with both sides having bids turned down, and it appears that Plymouth won't be selling Whittaker for a cut-price fee this month.

If Miron Muslic's men are to escape their current predicament and avoid relegation, then someone like Whittaker will be crucial, and it appears that clubs will have to meet the Pilgrims' £10 million asking price to have any chance of signing him.

Middlesbrough told their recent bid won't be enough to sign Morgan Whittaker

We asked our Plymouth Argyle fan pundit, Chris, for his thoughts after Boro made a bid for Whittaker, and he believes that it won't be enough to seal the 24-year-old's services.

Speaking to Football League World, Chris said: "Interest in Argyle’s star performer Morgan Whittaker has certainly heated up in the last couple of weeks of the transfer window.

“After performing admirably and scoring the winning goal against Brentford in the FA Cup, Burnley made an instant bid to acquire his services. This bid was rejected by Argyle as it was low value for what we believe he’s worth

"After that, Hull City were making bids, and now Middlesbrough have sent a £5 million bid plus add-ons. This falls far short of the valuation, which I believe starts at £10 million.

“Not only that, but I believe that clubs are taking advantage of Argyle’s current league position, which is rooted to the bottom of the table, currently five points adrift.

"With that in mind, I think they’re trying their luck to sign a high-quality player for less money.

“However, Morgan Whittaker is currently on a long contract with Argyle, and I don’t think he’ll go for this money as Simon Hallett and the rest of the board will be keen to keep his services.”

Selling Morgan Whittaker for less than £10 million would be foolish

Plymouth are up against it to retain their Championship status, and losing Whittaker would almost certainly put the final nail in the coffin of their survival hopes.

If a club meets the £10 million asking price, then Plymouth could well have no option but to sell, with that being a huge amount of money for a club of their stature, but they shouldn't sell for anything less.

Accepting a cut-price fee would make it obvious that Plymouth are resigned to relegation, and while Whittaker hasn't been as good this season, he's still capable of moments of magic, as shown by his performance at Brentford in the FA Cup.

With a contract at Home Park until 2027, Plymouth will hope that Whittaker is able to help them pull off a great escape under Muslic before reassessing the situation in the summer, regardless of what division they're in.