"A lot of money..." - Carlton Palmer highlights "difficult call" Plymouth Argyle could face on Brentford, Fulham and Lazio target | OneFootball

Former England international Carlton Palmer believes a big money offer for Morgan Whittaker in the final days of the January window could mean Plymouth Argyle face "a difficult call".

The in-form forward is currently in the midst of his most productive season to date, firing goals for fun in an otherwise average Plymouth side, and is one of his side's key assets.

As such, interest has rumbled on throughout the January transfer window, and the final days could prove crucial to the fate of the Pilgrims' season. Fans at Home Park Stadium will no doubt be willing for February to arrive as quickly as possible.

Plymouth boss Ian Foster has made clear that the intention is for Whittaker to remain until at least the summer, but a valuable offer could prove tough to refuse for all parties.

Morgan Whittaker transfer latest

Interest in the 23-year-old was initially flooding in from the Premier League, with Brentford, West Ham United, and Fulham all believed to be taking a key interest - with the two West London clubs linked with a late-window move.

However, having had a first bid turned down for fellow Championship winger Jack Clarke by Sunderland, Serie A side Lazio returned to the second-tier market to table a bid for Whittaker, which Plymouth's director of football, Neil Dewsnip, confirmed the club had turned down.

Dewsnip was quoted by the Athletic as saying: “Last night we received an official offer for Morgan from Lazio. Having discussed this internally and with the player’s representatives, the offer was immediately rejected. Morgan is very happy at Argyle and we maintain our position that he is not for sale.”

With Lazio having submitted a second offer for Sunderland's Clarke, they appear determined to land a target in this area of the pitch, so it may not be the end of their Whittaker pursuit.

The former Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United defender has delivered his verdict on the Whittaker transfer saga and believes that letting the winger go at this stage of the season could prove fatal to the Pilgrims' chances of survival.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: “Lazio, after having an initial offer turned down by Sunderland for Jack Clarke, I believe to have also made an offer for in-form Plymouth winger Morgan Whittaker.

“Whittaker is having a fantastic season and can play wide or down the middle. He has scored seven goals and six assists."

Although Palmer recognises that the Pilgrims want to keep Whittaker at the club, he thinks a high-value offer could make for a difficult decision.

“Plymouth are keen to keep Whittaker at the club but should Lazio meet their valuation, they won’t stand in the player's way," he said. “It’s a difficult call for Plymouth; on one hand selling Whittaker would generate a lot of money but survival is a top priority and Whittaker’s presence and current form would enhance that possibility.

“Whittaker has never shown this kind of form before, so there’s always the question, ‘Is it a flash in the pan?’

“As always the offer on the amount will dictate the outcome, but these are worrying days for Plymouth until the window closes."

Keeping Whittaker could be crucial for the Pilgrims' season

Plymouth are currently sitting in 15th position in the Championship, just eight points clear of safety. However, they are only 11 points away from the play-off places, which goes to show how tightly contested the second tier is but, also, that the Pilgrims find themselves at something of a crossroads at this point in the season.

Despite a mediocre season so far, Whittaker has been a huge positive in the side following his club-record signing from Swansea in the summer, now sitting second in the Championship top scorer chart, with 15 goals and six assists.

That also makes him Plymouth's top scorer this season and by some distance, with the only teammate even approaching his haul being Ryan Hardie with 10 goals.

Losing such a lethal goal threat in the middle of the season could prove fatal to the Pilgrims' season. Such a derailing could see them having to fight it out at the bottom rather than mounting a late play-off challenge.

It feels like anything is possible for Plymouth with Whittaker in the side, but with footballing giants like Lazio taking a solid interest already, it could prove very tough to keep hold of him.