Wayne Rooney suffers Plymouth Argyle blow as Michael Cooper twist revealed | OneFootball

The shot-stopper is in line to be sold this summer after turning down an extended contract at Home Park

Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper has turned down an offer of a new contract with the club, according to a report from Plymouth Live.

The shot-stopper was said to have been offered a deal that would have made him the highest-paid player at the club, but has made his intentions clear that he will not be extending his stay at Home Park.

With the 24-year-old still having 12 months left on his current contract, the Pilgrims will now be willing to listen to offers for the academy graduate, so they can cash in on one of their prized assets.

The young custodian has played 141 league games for his boyhood club to date, and featured 19 times in the previous campaign after returning from a ligament injury, having joined the club at the age of nine.

Michael Cooper rejects new Plymouth Argyle deal as Pilgrims prepare to sell goalkeeper this summer

Cooper made an impromptu start to professional life as a Pilgrim, having been thrown on at halftime in a clash with Blackburn Rovers when he was an 18-year-old, but has since gone on to flourish between the sticks at Home Park.

With his incredible reflexes and excellent manning of his defence, the boyhood Argyle fan has established himself as the number one choice in goal in each of the past four seasons, when fitness has permitted him.

An anterior cruciate injury suffered against Sheffield Wednesday ruled him out of the second-half of the Pilgrims’ League One promotion campaign in 22/23, before suffering another setback midway through the previous campaign which restricted him to just 19 Championship matches.

When he has been fit and ready, the 24-year-old’s presence has been a reassuring one for Argyle, with his quality in repelling opposition attacks on show time and time again, with some manoeuvres defying belief.

Not only that, but his ability with the ball in hand or at his feet is crucial in starting the Greens’ attacks, with his presence of mind kickstarting many a counter-attack for his side over the years.

Plymouth Argyle must be prepared for transfer battle after major Michael Cooper contract update

The Greens will likely not be short of offers for the talented goalkeeper this summer, with plenty of clubs in the top two tiers likely to want to get their hands on the young star.

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon credited Aston Villa with interest in his services in the past, before Cooper’s injury issues likely put that move on the back burner until he regained full fitness.

The same source has also mentioned that the goalkeeper is attracting ‘widespread interest’ from other sides this summer, as new boss Wayne Rooney looked to tie him down to a longer deal upon his arrival at Home Park.

But with talks looking to have broken down, it looks as if the two-time Argyle Player of the Year will be heading for pastures new this summer, with the Greens having to head into the transfer market to find a replacement.