AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson has told Bristol Rovers he has no intention of selling midfielder Luke McCormick with the Gas keen on bringing the former loanee back to the Mem on a permanent basis.
McCormick is on Rovers’ shortlist for the summer but, as reported by Bristol Live on Sunday, a deal appears challenging given the 23-year-old contract situation in south London which makes any potential transfer expensive.
AFC Wimbledon don’t publish contract lengths but the Chelsea academy graduate is understood to have two years remaining on his agreement after signing from the Premier League club last summer.
McCormick was one of the few shining lights for the Gas in what was a miserable 2020/21 season as they were relegated from League One and formed a close bond with manager Joey Barton over the course of the campaign.
With Elliot Anderson returning to Newcastle United following his loan spell and Sam Nicholson’s future uncertain with the Scottish winger out of contract, the Gas could do with some additional goalscoring punch and creativity from midfield as they prepare for their return to the third tier.
However, Jackson is determined to hold onto one of the Dons prized assets as they look to follow in Rovers’ footsteps and earn instant promotion from League Two having been relegated last season.
“I don’t know anything about the interest,” Jackson told the South London Press . “Obviously, he has played for them before, and he has played under that manager before, so I get why there would be interest.
“He is a good young player as well. But from our point of view, it’s not in our interest to be selling our better, young players. I want to keep hold of every one of them and build teams around them. He’s not a player that I’m looking to get rid of.”
Rovers are yet to make a summer signing but have secured full-back Trevor Clarke and playmaker Antony Evans on long-term deals and with most players now back from summer holiday, and pre-season due to start next week, activity is expected to accelerate in the second half of June.
The transfer puzzle is a complicated one for the Gas, who require reinforcements in multiple positions. Barton is understood to have a long list in excess of 70 players, with several plans in place depending on what happens with certain targets.
Rovers’ hopes of bringing back centre-backs Connor Taylor and James Connolly, from Stoke City and Cardiff, respectively, makes the picture all the more complex as they wait to discover whether or not their parent clubs want to retain the two young defenders, or loan them out again.
In Taylor’s case, even with the arrival of Aden Flint this week, Stoke manager Michael O’Neill is not expected to make a decision until next month when he’s taken a proper look at how the 20-year-old fares in the first-team environment.
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