UEFA Europa League outfit keen on Plymouth Argyle player | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle have had somewhat of a rollercoaster first season so far back in the Championship, which has included losing their head coach halfway through the campaign.

Steven Schumacher's departure for Stoke City was a bitter blow for what the Pilgrims had built over the last few years to move from League Two to the second tier of English football, but a squad has been built with several top young talents in it for new boss Ian Foster to try and nurture even further.

And one of those is Morgan Whittaker, whose impressive half-season loan stint in League One for the Devon club last season prompted them to spend in excess of £1 million on the left-footed maestro - and it's certainly paying dividends so far.

Whittaker has scored 14 goals so far in the Championship for Plymouth and also notched five assists, which makes him the joint-second top scorer in the division behind Sammie Szmodics of Blackburn Rovers and also joint-second when it comes to combined goals and assists.

Atalanta scout Plymouth attacker Whittaker with view to potential swoop

Whittaker's form this season was always likely to see him watched by many, but there is now overseas interest in the forward.

As per Simon Jones' Transfer Confidential column for the Daily Mail, Serie A outfit Atalanta are now tracking the 23-year-old and had their scout Mick Doherty positioned at the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday to watch the winger in action as the Pilgrims took on Huddersfield Town in a match that ended 1-1.

Doherty has worked for many clubs as a scout, such as Chelsea, West Ham, Sunderland and Everton, but he was recently hired by Atalanta and is keeping his eye on the British market for the club that currently sits in eighth position in the Serie A table and are in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League.

And there is an obvious appeal for the Italians when it comes to players in the EFL as they are trying to sign Birmingham City's teenage midfielder Jordan James, who has six goals to his name in the Championship this season.

It is not just Atalanta who are looking at Whittaker and are interested in him though, with the Daily Mail's report claiming that 'top flight' and Championship clubs have all been keeping tabs on the former Derby County and Swansea City man.

Plymouth should hold out for eight figures for Whittaker's signature

On the evidence of his form this season, Plymouth did incredibly well to get Whittaker for the price they did.

He clearly did not fit in at Swansea as much as he did at Home Park, so it was in the best interests of all parties that a deal was struck - and Plymouth could end up making a heck of a lot of profit on their investment.

Whittaker is proving himself to be in the upper echelons of Championship attacking talent, and when you see the likes of Jack Clarke and Crysencio Summerville being touted for transfers north of £20 million, it makes you wonder what Whittaker's true value is.

Plymouth aren't the wealthiest team but they are self-sufficient and won't go overboard with their spending, and if they get a huge bid for one of their stars then it is likely to be considered for the best interests of the whole club - but it would take in excess of £10 million to even consider Whittaker's departure you would think.