‘Seven’ Championship clubs keen on Jephcott

Manager Lowe has no intention to sell but a £3.5 million bid could sway the Pilgrims

STOKE City are reported to be among several Championship clubs tracking the form of Plymouth Argyle’s 18-goal top scorer Luke Jephcott.

It is only a fortnight since the January transfer window closed but the speculation about a summer move away from Home Park has already begun.

Stoke’s head of recruitment Alex Aldridge has been sent to watch Jephcott, according to The Sun newspaper.

The same report adds that the 21-year-old striker was watched by seven other Championship clubs last week.

They apparently included Derby County’s Wayne Rooney and Sheffield Wednesday.

None of the other Championship clubs were named in the report, but Nottingham Forest were linked with Jephcott in January.

Jephcott’s goalscoring form since returning from a loan spell with Truro City at the start of 2020 has been outstanding.

He has netted 25 times in a total of 39 starts and four substitute appearances.

That has led to talk of a possible call-up to the Wales squad for the delayed Euro 2020 finals this summer for the Aberystwyth-born striker.

Ryan Lowe has repeatedly stated that Argyle are under no financial pressure to sell Jephcott, who signed what the Pilgrims’ boss described as ‘a long-term contract’ last summer.

Before the January transfer window opened, Lowe sent out a message to clubs that they would be wasting their time in contacting him about the striker.

He said: “Luke is in no rush to go anywhere, we are in no rush to let him leave. He has still got a lot of learning to do.

“Anyone who rings up (about Jephcott), the phone will be getting put down because we don’t need to sell.

“If they want to ring at the end of the season after he scored 25 goals it will probably cost them £3.5 million.

“It’s whether anyone has got £3.5m at the moment. Honestly, we are not even looking into that, we haven’t even thought of it.”

Then, after the January transfer window closed, Lowe gave an update on Wales Under-21 international Jephcott’s future.

He said: “Yeah, there was probably a few inquiries but I don’t think Luke wanted to know about it. I certainly didn’t.

“We were in agreement that he definitely wasn’t going anywhere in

January. That was it as far as I was concerned.

“We are not in a position where we need to sell so we were fine but, I keep saying it, Luke has still got a long way to go.

“Yeah, he might be the leading goalscorer (in League One) but he has still got more to offer and more to do.

“In the near future if something comes along and everyone is happy with it then so be it, but at this moment in time, he has got to keep scoring goals.”

That last comment appeared to indicate that Argyle would not stand in Jephcott’s way of moving on this summer, provided their price valuation is met.

So it is safe to assume the transfer speculation about Jephcott will continue between now and then as long as he keeps getting among the goals for the Pilgrims.