Bristol Rovers target Luke McCormick has been left out of AFC Wimbledon's squad on the opening day of the League Two season.
McCormick, who is not thought to be injured, is not in Wimbledon’s matchday squad against Gillingham today as he looks for a move away from Plough Lane following their relegation last season. Reports in the capital say McCormick wants out, but no suitable offers have been received.
The Dons value the 23-year-old in excess of £200,000 and Bristol Live understands the Gas are plotting a move for their former midfielder.
Wimbledon sold Jack Rudoni earlier in the window to Huddersfield Town for a club-record package of around £1million so are under less financial pressure to sell McCormick. However, that is tempered by the fact they could be burdened with an unhappy player.
McCormick has two years to run on his contract in south London and is also among the highest earners at the club, so the prospect of paying his salary over the course of the 2022/23 campaign, for a player who may not be fully engaged, is becoming increasingly unpalatable.
The former Chelsea prospect worked with Joey Barton and his staff in the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan as the Gas suffered relegation from League One. Had they managed to stay up that season, they would have been in pole position to sign McCormick on a permanent deal.
Barton has maintained ties with McCormick, who sought his counsel over his move to Wimbledon in the summer of 2021 as he left Chelsea following 17 years in the Premier League club’s academy and under-23 set-up.
The Rovers manager is keen to add another attacking, goalscoring midfielder to his squad following the departure this summer of Sam Nicholson, who rejoined MLS side Colorado Rapids following the expiration of his contract.
McCormick is a more central-focused player than the Scot but with Antony Evans capable of playing across the attack, it opens up a spot in the No10 role or the 23-year-old can drop into a deeper midfield.
Elsewhere, fellow transfer targets Connor Taylor and Luke Thomas have been included in Stoke City and Barnsley's squads respectively. Taylor is starting for the Potters at Millwall, with Thomas on the bench for Barnsley at Plymouth Argyle.
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