Plymouth Argyle have '£8-10m player' but transfer warning sent | OneFootball

It appears inevitable that Plymouth Argyle will lose striker Lorent Tolaj in this summer's transfer window.

Plymouth Argyle head into the final day of the League One campaign with a sniff of squeezing themselves into the top six and the play-off places.

After a very tough start to the campaign and a lot of criticism from supporters levelled at manager Tom Cleverley and the board, the Pilgrims have transformed themselves into one of the better teams in the third-tier in 2026.

The Devon-based outfit currently sit eighth in the table but just two points behind Stevenage, with the two sides sandwiching Luton Town ahead of the final day.

Plymouth, who defeated Port Vale at Home Park at the weekend to mean that they have now lost two of their last 15 games in the league, head to relegated and woefully out of form Northampton Town on Saturday, while Luton travel to third place Bolton Wanderers and Bradford, winless in four, travel to an Exeter City side that are scrapping for survival at St James Park.

Bim Pepple scored a match-winning brace for Argyle in that 2-1 defeat of the Valiants the other day, but it is his strike partner Lorent Tolaj that is attracting the most reported interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

Lorent Tolaj interest is no surprise for Plymouth

Having arrived from Port Vale last summer for a fee believed to be in the region of £1.2 million, Tolaj has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign down in Devon.

So much so that the 24-year-old Swiss striker is the subject of interest from the likes of Sheffield United, Leicester City and Preston North End.

His departure appears inevitable to FLW’s Plymouth Fan Pundit Luke Hodge – but that is not something that should overly concern the Argyle fanbase.

Luke says: “I think the majority of Argyle supporters and most realists know that he is going to leave the club in the summer.

“Not because he is unhappy here. He looks as though he is enjoying his football and has said he is enjoying his football at Argyle, but he is simply too good for us, he’s too good for League One football.

“His trajectory is on the rise. He’s 24 years’ old, he’s a goalscorer, which all clubs want. He gets assists, he’s got an amazing work ethic and he’s a proper team player.

“He’s got attributes that would improve most clubs around.

“It’s understandable that he’s got clubs sniffing around and no doubt he will be playing Championship football or at a strong European league next season.

“The other thing as well is that we are in a strong position to sell Lorent this summer, with three years left on his contract and no release clause, we hold all of the cards in terms of how much we get for him.

“If we got £5 million for him then I would be disappointed because, in my opinion, he is an £8 to £10 million player, but we are Plymouth Argyle, we are in League One and finances aren’t horrendous we but we have just had a £10 million loss, which is in keeping with a lot of League One clubs and clubs up and down the country.

“Although we are not desperate to sell by any means and we’ve got a playing budget for next season that is similar to this season, which is all good and that is without selling our main assets, we can’t come across as desperate and we want to sell someone for the maximum amount of money.

“So, the more that these stories come up that clubs are interested in him, some of it is ‘rumourville’ but I don’t doubt there are dozens of clubs around Europe that are looking at Lorent Tolaj.

“He ticks every single box. The trajectory, the 24 years’ old, the goal scoring, the work ethic. He’s impressed everywhere he has gone and I’m sure he’ll go somewhere bigger and better than Argyle and continue to do what he’s doing.

“We wish him well. I know a lot of people will say we don’t have to sell him but, realistically.

“I think he’ll want to go because he’s ambitious and we’re not going to stand in his way and if we can get some good money for him, and help our finances and invest a large majority of the fee we get for him back into the playing squad, back into Tom Cleverley and to Derek Adams then we’re never going to replace Tolaj, but if we are able to keep hold of the likes of Bim Pepple and reinvest that money wisely into the squad then I think we’ll be in a better position than we are now.

“A bit of a win-win for everybody really, in my opinion.”

Lorent Tolaj has enjoyed an impressive few years

Having begun his youth career at FC Sion in Switzerland, Tolaj was signed by the impressive recruitment team at Brighton and Hove Albion, where he signed his first professional contract.

Underwhelming loan spells at Cambridge United, Salford City and Dundee saw him join Aldershot Town in the National League on a permanent basis in 2023.

After a 19-goal season for the Shots, Tolaj was poached by an ambitious Port Vale aide and he helped deliver the Stoke-on-Trent outfit automatic promotion to League One last season with 15 strikes in 41 appearances for Darren Moore’s side.

Since moving up a level and joining Plymouth last summer, the former Switzerland youth international has established himself as one of the best strikers and players in the third-tier.

With 16 goals and seven assists in just 30 starts this season, due to injuries hampering him a little bit, Tolaj is heading into the summer very much in-demand.

The 24-year-old has progressed quickly through the National League, League Two and now League One, with a move to the Championship seemingly inevitable.