Rotherham United boss Paul Warne linked with move for midfielder George Maris

Paul Warne is desperate to sign at least one central midfielder, and preferably two, with Will Vaulks and Matty Palmer the only two senior options available.Warne has been trying to add to his options in the engine room all summer after Richie Towell’s loan deal ended last term. Towell is the preferred option, however a potential deal for the Brighton player has seemingly slowed down.Warne was keen on bringing in Nottingham Forest’s Ryan Yates on loan earlier in the window but the player now appears to be part of Aitor Karanka’s plans. And Warne, who has revealed he has two bids in for a player who he is keen to bring to the AESSEAL New York Stadium, is whittling his way through a shortlist of potential signings before the window shuts next week. Former Barnsley youngster Maris has been an influential player for League Two Cambridge United since joining the club in 2016.And the 22-year-old hit double figures for the first time in his career after an impressing season last term. The promising playmaker is keen to show what he can do at a higher level and wants a move closer to home. On his ongoing search for a central midfielder, Warne said: “We’ve got a few options and as the window gets longer and longer more options are becoming available.“There’s one I really want to bring in, we put a bid in which I thought was fine, that obviously got rejected. We put an improved bid in which I thought would be accepted, but I’m led to believe that hasn’t been accepted either.“We’ll see if it’s plausible, realistically that was our best bid. Obviously I’ve had some setbacks as every club has.“It’s pretty well documented there’s two central midfielders I’m after who I’d like to bring in and there’s two who no-one knows of who I haven’t seen mentioned yet, which is pretty amazing.” Meanwhile, defender Ben Purrington has been allowed to join League One outfit AFC Wimbledon on a season-long loan.