Wayne Rooney breaks silence on Wolves and Rangers transfer interest in Morgan Whittaker
Morgan Whittaker has been the subject of a big-money bid from Rangers and is also wanted by Wolves, Plymouth Argyle boss Wayne Rooney has given his take
Plymouth Argyle's gaffer Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on Morgan Whittaker amidst ongoing transfer rumours linkinbg him to the lkikes of Wolves and Glasgow Rangers, stating that the forward is thriving in pre-season.
The Daily Record reported on Friday that a bid from Rangers for Whittaker was turned down by Argyle, with the deal potentially reaching over £7 million including add-ons. The Scottish giants are tipped to come back with an increased offer.
Whittaker, who bagged 19 goals last season and scooped Argyle's Player-of-the-Year award, has caught the attention of several clubs, with Wolves among the interested parties from the Premier League.
When approached about the Rangers bid, Argyle maintained their usual stance of not commenting on speculation.
Following the Pilgrims' impressive 5-1 pre-season victory at Cheltenham Town, Rooney addressed the Whittaker situation with Plymouth Live, saying: "It's the first I know.", reports Plymouth Live.
"I have said this before, Morgan is a fantastic player and I'm really enjoying working with him. We value Morgan very highly. Anything other than a crazy bid, we won't be entertaining."
"Ultimately, I want Morgan to stay at the football club because he's a very good player and he's the player who can make a difference."
Whittaker netted a stunning second goal for the Pilgrims against Cheltenham, unleashing a superb left-foot strike from beyond the box, following his impressive run and cross from the right which set Ibrahim Cissoko up for a score.
When quizzed on whether he believed Whittaker was content at Argyle, Rooney responded: "He looks happy. I have spoken to him, he's enjoying coming in every day and working."
Rooney went on to say: "I couldn't be happier with his attitude in training, today in the game I thought he did really well. We will do everything we can to make sure he is here this season."
Rumours about Whittaker's future are not uncommon, both for the player and Argyle, especially after the winter transfer window saw him linked with an exit and Lazio's reported £8.5m bid rejected.
On the subject of interest in Whittaker, Rooney remarked: "I think it's a good problem to have. You worry more when teams aren't interested in your players because it means they aren't doing that well. As I said, we will do everything we can to make sure he's at this club, and certainly that's the first I have heard of a £7m offer."