With Rangers are keen to bring Morgan Whittaker to Ibrox this month with Swansea City playing hardball over the sale of the winger.
But while the player is keen on a deal, the relationship between the 22-year-old and his club appears to be quickly deteriorating - and the signs have been clear to boss Russell Martin that the winger wants a fresh start since he was handed a furious response from the player when he was recalled from his loan at Plymouth Argyle. Record Sport understands that Rangers have already had two offers turned down by the English Championship side but will try to finally negotiate a deal this month.
It would mark the end of a tough spell in Wales for the England U20 cap with the player struggling to get a look-in from Martin after signing with the Swans from Derby in January 2021, making just 22 appearances during his two seasons on the books at the Welsh side. He has enjoyed two loan spells away from the club at Lincoln and Plymouth - and it's the end of his spell at Home Park that appears to have sparked a rocky relationship between player and manager.
Whittaker netted nine goals for Argyle and was a key figure in helping them to the top of League One, but was recalled by Martin at the start of the January window. Following the decision, Whittaker took to social media to voice his frustration sharing a picture of himself and Argyle boss Steven Schumacher alongside an angry face emoji on his Instagram story.
He followed that up post stating: "I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the fans, the players and the staff at @argyle. This club is so special to me and some of my best moments of my career happened here. I am devastated that I could not continue here for the whole season."
Since then, Whittaker has cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines having failed to make a single appearance for Swansea - having not even been named in a matchday squad. However, Martin insisted that the attacker was in his plans for the clash with Queens Park Rangers - before Whittaker pulled out the squad.
Martin vented after the full-time whistle at Loftus Road: “We had agreed he was going to be in the squad and then Morgan told me just after my press conference on Friday that he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be in the squad or to travel. It is disappointing.
"We’d have loved for him to be involved today. We have to respect his frame of mind. I am sure there will be loads of people who will be upset by it and frustrated by it, but he’s a young man."
With temperatures rising behind the scenes over Whittaker's lack of game time and push for a move, both the club and player will be hoping to solve the situation urgently. It remains to be seen if a move to the Scottish Premiership will finally get the green light, or Whittaker will be hoping for a change of heart from Martin when they face off against Birmingham on February 4 in their next fixture.
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