Yahoo Sports Plymouth's Whittaker completes £6m Boro move
Plymouth Argyle forward Morgan Whittaker has completed a £6m transfer to Championship rivals Middlesbrough.
BBC Radio Tees reported on Friday that the 24-year-old was having a medical before a permanent move to Riverside Stadium.
Although the transfer fee is officially undisclosed, sources have told BBC Sport that Plymouth accepted a bid of £6m, with £2m worth of add-ons - a figure that would more than double the club's previous record transfer fee received.
"There was a lot of interest in him, but it says a lot that he wanted to come here and be a part of things," said Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick.
Whittaker was a then-club record signing when he joined Argyle from Swansea City for £1m in 2023 after a successful loan spell.
He made the Championship Team of the Season last year after scoring 20 goals in 50 games.
But he has found the net just four times this season as Argyle have struggled at the bottom of the Championship.
Whittaker did not play in the Pilgrims' 5-0 loss to Burnley on Wednesday. Head coach Miron Muslic said Whittaker "didn't show up in time" for the match, despite knowing he was in the starting line-up, and he ended up watching the game from the stands.
Both Middlesbrough and Burnley had been in talks with the forward with Burnley having a bid of £5m plus add-ons rejected by Argyle earlier this week.
The move sees Whittaker link up once again with midfielder Finn Azaz. The pair had a fine partnership in the first half of last season before Azaz joined Boro after being recalled by Aston Villa.
They were both part of an impressive Plymouth side under Steven Schumacher but, following Schumacher's departure for Stoke City, Whittaker's goalscoring form has dropped off.
His final goal for Plymouth was his winner in the 1-0 victory at Premier League side Brentford in the FA Cup third round earlier this month.
Analysis: 'You cannot argue with his impact at Argyle'
Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport
Following Whittaker's no-show on Wednesday, it was always a matter of when, rather than if, the forward would leave Argyle.
While the manner of his departure might not have been the greatest - turning up so late he was dropped from the team - you cannot argue with the impact he has had at the club.
Since he first joined on loan in the summer of 2022 he has scored 34 goals, including an amazing run of 15 goals in 22 appearances between September 2023 and January 2024.
But since then he has found the net just eight times as his goalscoring touch has mirrored Argyle's fall down the table.
The club-record deal is huge for Plymouth, but what the Pilgrims do with that cash will be key.
Do they spend it now to try to keep a club six points from safety and without a win in 11 weeks up, or do they hang on and use it to rebuild in League One next year?
