Rotherham United boss Paul Warne on transfers and a new deal

Warne - who will be without Trevor Clarke (calf) for up to five weeks - revealed last month that the club had fielded some verbal interest from rival Championship clubs in midfielder Matt Crooks, but no firm offers.

The Millers chief remains relaxed regarding the subject of further interest or possible offers for Crooks or any other players - with the club under no pressure to sell.

"I think it is good if people are interested in my players as it means they are doing well. I am never offended by bids or anything," the Millers chief said.

"I do not expect to see any of my top players to leave before the window shuts."

On the incoming front, Warne has confirmed that he would like to bring in another midfielder, winger/striker and an additional forward option, but with almost a month and a half of the domestic transfer window still to go, he is certainly not panicking.

"On the pitch, we really need another option in the middle of the park," he added.

"We have four centre midfielders and one (Ben Wiles) is injured, so we are currently down to three.

"Three is definitely not enough to get you through two games a week.

"So we definitely need something there. In an ideal world, I would have another winger or a striker who can play out on the wing and possibly another striker.

"I did think my left-back issue had been solved as Trevor (Clarke) has had a really good pre-season. He has been one of the outstanding performers in pre-season, but unfortunately he got injured playing for the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday night, which is a massive blow.

"I may need to look it that again. But in fairness, Billy (Jones), Robbo (Clark Robertson) and Wes (Harding) can play left-back. So it is not the end of the world."

Meanwhile, Warne has confirmed that talks are progressing regarding his new contract - which is set to be finalised shortly.

Warne, whose reign at the Millers has helped to revitalise the club's fortunes - with two promotions already on his CV - held discussions regarding fresh terms with chairman Tony Stewart during the summer.

He said: "There has been a bit of progress. Me and the chairman have a really open and honest relationship. He has been away in France and is now in lockdown.

"We speak on the phone. There is no drama and once he comes out of that, we will have a cup of tea and I cannot see it being a problem.

"I want to stay and I believe he wants me to stay. Luckily this pre-season, I have not received any letters asking me to quit yet. That is always a good sign as well!"