Exclusive: Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool in 5-club race for £0 transfer deal | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool have joined the hotly-contested race to sign Dumfermline defender Kieran Ngwenya, Football League World understands

Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool are undertaking respective preparations ahead of the summer window's commencement next Monday, and Football League World can exclusively reveal that the League One duo are involved in a multi-club race to land a free transfer capture in the coming weeks.

Plymouth will hold ambitions of competing right at the top of the third-tier after only missing out on a top-six finish on the final day of last season when, alongside Luton Town, their 3-2 comeback victory at Northampton Town was nullified by Stevenage's last-grasp win against Wigan Athletic, consigning Tom Cleverley's side to eighth-place and ensuring a second season outside of the Championship.

Blackpool, meanwhile, ended the campaign in strong fashion, having spent large parts of it battling against relegation before losing just two of their last ten matches to finish in 13th under Ian Evatt.

As for Leyton Orient, who are also interested in the same deal, the 2025/26 term would see Richie Wellens' beleaguered side fall from play-off finalists to relegation candidates inside twelve months as the O's only ensured their League One status on matchweek 46, with a significant rebuilding process now poised to take place at Brisbane Road.

Nonetheless, in spite of differing league finishes and forthcoming targets for 2026/27, the trio each share an admiration for a soon-to-be-free agent garnering no shortage of attention up in Scotland.

Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool eyeing Kieran Ngwenya transfer swoop

With the summer transfer window shortly upon us, Football League World can exclusively reveal the identity of a player who has emerged on the radar of at least two more League One sides alongside outfits north of the border.

FLW understands that the transfer target in question is Dumfermline Athletic defender Kieran Ngwenya, who has been linked with a number of clubs in recent times as he prepares to leave the Scottish second-tier side at the end of his contract this month.

Sources have revealed that Plymouth and Blackpool have now joined the race for Ngwenya's services, with the pair looking to rival the likes of Motherwell, Orient and Burton Albion after they were all previously credited with interest by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke.

It's understood, however, that Plymouth and Blackpool are only facing further competition in their pursuit of the highly-rated 23-year-old.

That's because FLW has also learned that two more Scottish Premiership suitors in Dundee FC and St. Mirren are in the race for Ngwenya after the central defender caught the eye at Dumfermline in the second-tier last time out, while Orient's interest has also persisted.

Ngwenya, who previously earned a solitary cap for Malawi in 2021 but debuted with the Trinidad and Tobago national side against South Korea just last week, made 27 appearances across all competitions in the 25/26 season, scoring four times in league action.

The Glasgow-born defender came through Aberdeen's ranks, though he fell short of making the grade at Pittodrie and has instead made a name for himself in the Scottish Championship, where he has accumulated a wealth of experience in recent seasons.

Now seeking a new challenge, it will be interesting to see where the Trinidad and Tobago international ends up in the coming weeks and months.

Plymouth would represent a considerable step-up considering the Green Army's promotion aspirations next time around, though Cleverley could find himself in the market for fresh defensive options after FLW recently broke the news of rival interest from Oxford United in an effort to re-sign Charlton Athletic's Alex Mitchell.

On the other hand, Evatt may well require a bolstering of his own backline at Bloomfield Road, especially with long-serving defender James Husband having left the West Coast at the end of his contract with the club.