The state of play over Rotherham United and Chiedozie Ogbene new-contract talks

The Championship Millers are hoping their Republic of Ireland international will still be at AESSEAL New York Stadium after the 11pm deadline on September 1.

Manager Paul Warne says they have made the flying forward “a good verbal offer” but won’t follow it up until next month.

Ogbene is in the final year of his contract after the club exercised their option to extend it by 12 months.

“Things have gone cold, we are not negotiating as we speak,” Warne said. “We obviously want to re-sign Chieo, that goes without saying. He knows that.

“We are going to revisit it when we have done all our business in the window. In the middle of a window with the season just starting, it is not at the top of my agenda.

“We have reached out to his representatives and hopefully it is something we can do.”

Any August suitors would have to pay a substantial fee to land a player who has gone from a relative unknown to a huge hit in the Ireland side during his three years with Rotherham and has also won two League One promotions.

So far, there have been no bids for him.

Despite their boss’s optimistic words, the Millers accept they face a battle to convince Ogbene that his future at New York lies beyond the end of this season.

The 25-year-old knows that he would be wanted by other clubs with the financial means to significantly increase his wages if he ran down his contract and became a free agent.

“I think the player is going into the final year of his contract and seeing what happens,” Warne said. “It is hard to persuade people otherwise when they have got something in their head that they would like to do.

“It is my job to get Chieo to perform on a weekly basis and that is my focus. What more can I do? I can’t get him in a headlock. If he doesn’t want to sign a deal, he won’t sign a deal.”

Rotherham already know how it feels to lose important players who have reached the end of their contracts.

In June, centre-forward Michael Smith and central defender Michael Ihiekwe rejected new terms after becoming free agents and moved to Sheffield Wednesday.

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PAUL Warne is against Rotherham United cashing in on Chiedozie Ogbene while they can and letting him go to another club before next summer.

The Millers are trying to establish themselves in the Championship after three failed attempts and the lightning-quick player who can play out wide or down the middle is key to their cause.

“It doesn’t help the team out if I sell him,” manager Warne said. “I appreciate it helps the club out, but fortunately the chairman wants to keep all of our best players.

“It’s a moot point at the moment because we haven’t had a bid, although I appreciate that could change in a heartbeat.”