Kieffer Moore has completed his £750k switch from Ipswich Town to Championship rivals Barnsley.
The 25-year-old striker scored 13 goals on loan for Rotherham in the first half of the season to leave him a wanted man.
The Millers made a club-record bid, fellow League One promotion chasers Peterborough and Bradford also had offers on the table, while Charlton and Scunthorpe made enquiries.
It’s the Tykes – backed by new Chinese investors and going down the ‘moneyball’ statistic-based recruitment route – who have won the race for a player Town recruited for just £20k from National League side Forest Green Rovers a year ago.
“Kieffer is an excellent addition to the side and we’re really pleased to bring him here,” said Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom, whose team are 19th, just two points above the drop zone and set to visit Portman Road on Tuesday, April 10.
“It’s a deal that the club has worked hard on and got done quickly, so I’m delighted with that. He’s a player in top form and will bring something different to improve the side.
“We were after a player of his qualities, who can offer something different and improve the starting 11. His height will trouble defenders and cause problems, but as a player he’s got much more in his locker and will score different types of goals.
“Kieffer has already been in the local area and knows South Yorkshire now, so I expect him to settle quickly and work hard to get into our team.”
It completes a remarkable two-year rise for the 6ft 5in front man. After suffering successive relegations with Yeovil from the Championship to League Two, Moore had a brief spell playing for Viking in Norway before joining National League side Forest Green Rovers in January 2016.
He wasn’t a regular during his year at the big-budget non-league outfit and was sent out on loan to hometown club Torquay United, before Ipswich, surprisingly, signed him for £20k in January 2017.
Moore made 11 substitute appearances for a struggling Blues side during the second half of last season before being sent out on loan to The New York Stadium.
Blues boss Mick McCarthy had previously said he planned to recall and play the in-form striker, but last week revealed: “He was hardly well-liked or loved – I remember the crowd cheering when he headed a ball at one stage when he was here. But he’s gone and improved and had a great time at Rotherham.
“I could tell when he trained with us that, with so much interest in him, his head was elsewhere and he will probably end up elsewhere.
“I can’t bring him back and give him assurances he will be in the team. He’s not playing in front of Garns (Joe Garner) and Waggy (Martyn Waghorn).”
McCarthy says any incoming January transfer business will be restricted to loans and free transfers, while he has done little to quash speculation that Bartosz Bialkowski (linked to Crystal Palace), Tommy Smith (Colorado Rapids) and David McGoldrick (Cardiff) could depart before the end of the month.
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