Morgan Whittaker update emerges amid interest from Burnley and Middlesbrough in Plymouth Argyle forward
Middlesbrough look to have won the race for Plymouth Argyle forward Morgan Whittaker.
Both Burnley and Boro have been strongly linked with a January move for the 24-year-old, who was left out of Argyle’s squad on Wednesday night for the Clarets’ 5-0 win at Home Park.
Speaking after the game, Plymouth boss Miron Muslic revealed Whittaker was available for selection but failed to “show up”.
"He was in the selection and he wasn't there,” Muslic said.
"It shows the mentality, or even the lack of mentality. I think you always have your responsibilities and you are under contract.
"You have to be professional, you have obligations, not only towards Argyle as an organisation, you have an obligation towards your teammates and you don't let your teammates down, never."
It’s now being reported that Middlesbrough have agreed a fee for Whittaker, who is now undergoing a medical on Teesside. The bid is reportedly in the region of £6m plus £2m in potential add-ons.
Reports in Middlesbrough suggest Finn Azaz had a major part in convincing Whittaker to move to the Riverside, having previously played with him at Plymouth.
Boro were also able to fund the deal by selling Isaiah Jones to Luton Town for £5m earlier this window.
The Clarets first showed an interest in Whittaker during the summer before having another offer turned down earlier this month.
Head coach Scott Parker has repeatedly declined to comment on the speculation.
When the reports first emerged of Burnley’s January interest, Parker said: “To be fair, it's never something that I will discuss. I think I've been consistent with that and I'll stick to that really.
“We'll be looking around and we'll see that regarding individual names, [but] it's not something that I want to comment on.”
Plymouth signed Whittaker on loan from Swansea in 2022, making his move permanent in 2023. He has made a total of 103 appearances, scoring 33 goals.