Ipswich Town face increasing competition for Rotherham’s Matt Crooks, with a second Championship club said to have entered the bidding war.

The attacking midfielder has been a prime transfer target for the Blues this summer, who have lodged a series of bids and maintain a serious interest despite already adding MK Dons’ creator Scott Fraser to the squad yesterday.

Town's bids are thought to have been in the region of £400,000 and then £600,000.

The Rotherham Advertiser report an unnamed Championship side to have made an offer of £750,000, rising to £1.25million for the 27-year-old, with another second-tier side already offering a high six-figure fee for the midfielder.

Derby, Middlesbrough, Cardiff and Peterborough are all thought to be keen on signing Crooks, with Rotherham boss Paul Warne again insisting the player deserves a move to the Championship and that the Millers don’t want to sell to a League One rival.

“I spoke to the Ipswich manager (Paul Cook) last week,” Warne told the Advertiser.

“He candidly asked ‘What did I think?’, I candidly told him what I thought and they haven’t offered again.

“It is not something we’re looking to do, to lose our best assets to our competitors. “I think, in fairness to the player and with no disrespect to Ipswich, if he was to leave here he would want Championship football. That’s what his ability deserves really.”

Crooks is entering the final year of his Rotherham contract and is known to be open to a move away following the Millers’ relegation at the end of last season.

Rotherham are said to be prepared to allow Crooks to see out the final year of his contract and bid to help them back into the Championship, but would be open to selling if their seven-figure valuation is met.

Town have now made eight summer signings, with Fraser joining Wes Burns, Lee Evans, Rekeem Harper, Macauley Bonne, Vaclav Hladky, Matt Penney and Joe Pigott at Portman Road.