Rotherham boss Paul Warne says he’s already keen to sign on-loan Town striker Kieffer Moore on a permanent basis.
Moore, 25, joined the League One Millers in July on loan for the season - with the Blues entitled to recall him in January - and has made a strong start to the campaign.
The Torquay-born frontman, signed by the Blues from Forest Green Rovers for £20,000 in January, netted a hat-trick in his first league start for his loan club as the South Yorkshiremen thrashed Southend 5-0 at home the Saturday before last, then added another in the weekend 2-1 defeat at Peterborough.
"I think certain players suit certain clubs at certain times and Kieffer is a typical Rotherham attacker,” Warne told the Sheffield Star.
"I think the fans really appreciate what he does and how hard he works for someone so big. He looks after himself amazingly well so he is right up my street on that score.”
He confirmed that he’d like Moore to be a permanent member of his squad: "He is someone I would like to have longer at the club going forward.
"I’d like to think he wants to be here and we could put something together that would attract him.
"If Ipswich are not looking to sell until January then it doesn’t matter what I offer because while he is scoring and in the shop window they will be in no rush.
He added: "If I could put a bid in that would attract him in a few weeks’ time, then I would. I know we are the only ones who could buy him before January because of the rules.
"If the player wants to stay and everything was right, I would like to keep him. I don’t have to do it this window, so that is not an immediate rush.”
Speaking last week following the hat-trick, Town boss Mick McCarthy said he was pleased Moore, whose contract is up at the end of the season but with the Blues having an option to keep him for another year, had made a strong start to his time at Rotherham.
"I’m delighted he’s got his hat-trick, he’s playing well, that’s the reason I sent him out,” McCarthy said. "And just thank God we’ve got our strikers scoring because [otherwise the fans here would] be screaming blue murder!
"But for now that's his level, for me. He can get better. He’s got everything to be [better], he’s big and powerful and he runs in channels, he’s got to learn a lot of things, I think.
"And he’s getting that opportunity playing in League One. And they love him, they’re delighted with him, even more so after Saturday, of course.
"So, that’s the reason, it’s to help him to help us. Not to help Rotherham, but that’s the by-product. They’ve taken him but from our point of view, hopefully he’ll get better and we can see him as a first-team player.
"And if we don’t, if he keeps scoring goals we’ll be able to sell him for more than we bought him for.”
Moore, who made 11 sub appearances without scoring for Town last season, was also interesting a number of other clubs prior to his move to Rotherham, including Plymouth, Port Vale, Stevenage and Partick Thistle.
Town right-back Josh Emmanuel, 20, is also currently on a season-long loan at the New York Stadium and has started all three of their league games so far.