Peterborough United boss Grant McCann has played down the chances of Posh signing Blues striker Kieffer Moore due to the expense of the deal. Yesterday, the League One side’s director of football Barry Fry said a fee had been agreed with the Blues for the 25-year-old, who Town recalled from his highly successful loan stint at Rotherham at the turn of the year.
"It’s an option that came to us. We will look to bring one in in that area,” McCann told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"As much as I'd like the boy here to give us help, he is going to cost a lot of money.
"The club have tried with Ipswich but he's expensive and it's something I'd probably advise the chairman and Barry to stay away from, because it is a big financial commitment. The chairman and Barry will make that decision.”
Following Fry’s comments yesterday morning, Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony also implied a deal for Moore wasn’t on the cards and certainly not imminently.
I didn't make any deal public. Nor should anybody at our club. We are not signing any striker today or tomorrow or day after & defo not for a Million quid. Ignore whats been written today or commented on ðŸ‘🻠https://t.co/gQNRyVy3Gt– Darragh MacAnthony (@DMAC102) January 3, 2018
McCann's comments appear to contradict yesterday's claim that the initial fee agreed with Posh was merely £250,000, a figure somewhat lower than had been anticipated.
The Millers, for whom Moore scored 13 goals in the first half of the season, have said they have made what's believed to be a club record bid - which would therefore be in excess of £500,000 - for the Torquay-born frontman, who is understood to have been back in Devon this week.
Fellow League One sides Charlton, Bradford, Scunthorpe and Wigan are also understood to be interested, while unnamed Championship clubs also kept an eye on Moore’s progress while he was with the Millers.
Moore, who joined Town for £20,000 from Forest Green Rovers last January, is contracted to Town until the end of the season with the Blues having an option for a further year.
Speaking following Tuesday night's game at Fulham, Blues manager Mick McCarthy wouldn't comment on developments regarding Moore - "I can’t tell you anything" - but he confirmed that if the striker features for Town he can’t play for anyone else other than Rotherham this season due to FIFA’s three-club rule.
"That’s correct, or stay with us,” he said. "He can’t play in the cup anyway. That gives us a bit of thinking room, I guess.”