Reported Derby County striker target Luke Jephcott has gone nine League One games without a goal following talk of a potential move to the Championship club.
Jephcott is among the leading scorers in League One with 16 goals this term.
His form attracted several Championship clubs during the January transfer window.
According to The Sun, Stoke City had sent scouts to watch him in action while Derby and Sheffield Wednesday were also closely watching him ahead of a potential move.
Plymouth Argyle boss Ryan Lowe dubbed Jephcott the hottest property in the country back in December, while the Plymouth Herald valued the striker at £3.5 million.
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But since those January links, Jephcott’s form has nose-dived.
The 21-year-old has failed to find net in his last nine League One appearances, the longest run of games without a goal since he broke through to become a first-team regular.
Moreover, Plymouth have won just one of their last seven games while losing the last four in succession, slipping away from the playoffs and down into the bottom half.
Plymouth boss Lowe remains defiant, telling the Plymouth Herald this week that Jephcott will rediscover his goal scoring form once he gets one, but his form is worrying.
Derby, meanwhile, are having their own problems with finding the net.
The Rams have now gone four games without a goal, with Wayne Rooney’s side losing their latest Championship encounter 1-0 at home to an injury-hit Millwall side.
Derby are among the lowest scorers in the Championship. They will need to strengthen their attacking options this summer while Martyn Waghorn’s contract comes to an end.
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