'£5m+' Lorent Tolaj claim made as Norwich City and Stoke plot Plymouth Argyle transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit believes it to be an inevitability that Lorent Tolaj will depart the club this summer

The rapid rise of Lorent Tolaj from non-league bagsman to someone on the precipice of being one of the big-name signings in the Championship is nothing short of impressive.

The Swissman has bounced up the footballing pyramid over the past couple of years, netting 19 and assisting 11 for Aldershot in his sole National League Campaign in 2023/24. Then, he'd move to Port Vale, scoring 14 and assisting eight en route to League Two promotion last season.

Despite naturally progressing to the third tier this season with the Valiants, recently-relegated Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle would spend £1.2 million on making Tolaj one of their marquee signings in the summer, and he's taken his goalscoring knack with him to Devon.

The Pilgrims have shot up the third-tier table in 2026, and still have an outside chance of landing in the play-offs come the end of the campaign, but regardless of how the rest of this season pans out, Tolaj will surely be in line for yet another self-promotion into the Championship, or even to a top-flight side outside of England.

Indeed, Belgian Pro League side Anderlecht and Danish Superliga outfit Copenhagen are being attributed with interest in the 24-year-old, alongside Championship sides Stoke City, Norwich City and Swansea City.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's much Argyle will be able to do to stop Tolaj from moving on this summer, so FLW's Plymouth fan pundit, Luke Hodge, is just hoping that his side can maximise the profit they can make on him.

Plymouth Argyle fan pundit hopes Pilgrims don't "undersell" Lorent Tolaj

"Absolutely, it feels inevitable," Hodge told Football League World when questioned whether he felt that Tolaj would be on his way out of Home Park this summer.

"I said it at the start of the season, having only watched him for a handful of games. It was glaringly obvious that he was a quality player whose trajectory was going in the right direction. He scored goals in the National League at Aldershot, went to Port Vale and scored goals, and now he's doing the same with us.

"He's only 24, and he's not just a goalscorer, too. He's a workhorse, he puts a shift in, he's hungry for success, and he's ambitious.

"So there was never any doubt that other clubs would be looking at him, not just Championship clubs, but other European clubs as well. To put it bluntly, he's too good for Argyle while we're in League One."

The play-offs are more of an outside possibility for Plymouth this season, but even if Argyle were to squeeze in there and triumph at Wembley, Hodge doesn't even feel that Tolaj will remain at Home Park if they are a second-tier club.

It's well-known that the financial stresses were put on Argyle in the past year following their relegation from the Championship, with owner Simon Hallett lending the club £9.8 million in that time.

With no release clause in his contract and three years remaining on his current deal, Plymouth stands in very good stead to make a hefty profit on Tolaj if he were to depart, and Hodge just hopes that the club doesn't sell him for less than what he's worth.

"Even if we were to get promoted to the Championship, he'd be likely to go," he added.

"Our finances aren't in the greatest shape at the moment, so while the rumours are that he doesn't have a release clause and three years left on his contract, we are in a strong position, especially if there's a bidding war, to get some good money for Tolaj.

"But we have undersold players in the past, and I hope that it doesn't happen to him, because he is easily a £5m+ player, and I'm sure that, wherever he goes, he will continue to score goals.

"But, is it inevitable that he will be leaving? Absolutely, it is."

Lorent Tolaj could be worth even more than £5 million as a Championship player

Last summer, we saw Richard Kone, who had similar hype and expectation surrounding him compared to Tolaj, leave Wycombe Wanderers to QPR for an initial £2.75 million, with the view of it increasing to £5 million with add-ons.

Ultimately, the Chairboys may have wanted more up front for the Ivorian, but their status as a League One club didn't give them much power.

While there may be a bidding war for Tolaj this summer, it may prove difficult for Plymouth to hold out for what many at Home Park deem a feasible fee for him, and if the Swissman is open to making that step up, they may have no choice but to part ways with less than initially hoped.

Therefore, the onus this season will be on the Pilgrims to make the top six, but even if they don't, perhaps they could be in a better position going into the summer of 2027 in terms of a Tolaj sale if they can persuade the 24-year-old to stick it out in Devon for another year.

Plymouth have been a top-two side since mid-December, so if the same core of players can remain at the club for next year, there might be nothing stopping a Championship return for Tom Cleverley's side. Additionally, if Tolaj can stay fit for the entire year, he'd be one of the frontrunners for the Golden Boot, which would increase his market value, too.

Pilgrims