And former MK Dons player could fit the bill nicely

The hunt for an out-and-out striker is high on the agenda for MK Dons and Paul Warne.

Amidst rumours of bids for Rotherham United’s Sam Nombe, who came through the academy at Woughton on the Green, bolstering numbers in front of goal is a top priority for Warne heading into the new season.

While having plenty of attacking options, in the form of Callum Paterson, Aaron Collins, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, the head coach feels only last season’s top scorer Paterson is an ‘out and out’ number 9, with the others preferring to cut inside from the flanks.

With world football evolving away from developing those sorts of players though, it has put a premium on those who play the role, and Nombe’s 14 League One goals for the Millers last season put him at the forefront for many clubs looking to bolster their attacking line.

Nombe scored six goals in 46 appearances for Dons between 2017 and his 2021 departure from Stadium MK, but has gone on to bag goals for Exeter City and Rotherham, who spent a reported £1 million on the striker in 2023.

“We’ve got quite a few strikers, but not many out-and-out 9s,” Warne admitted. “We’ve got a lot of 7.5s, 10.5s, 11.5s. At times, it feels like Pato or a bit of a square peg in a round hole.

“It feels like we need to have another striker there through the middle, because our others like to come in from wide. If I could sign Harry Kane, that would be amazing!”

Not only up front though, Warne is eager to get in three or four new faces before the season gets under way in August, and typically, strengthen in all areas to put the side in position to fight for promotion.

He continued: “I need to strengthen my goalkeeping department, I think I need another wing-back, maybe two. If I play 4-3-3, I can play two wide men, or a 3-5-2, or a box, then I’ll need the versatility.

“I wouldn’t want to play wing-back for me, it’s the position of death! I’m telling you to get in the box, then get back, then in the box, then back. It’s a tricky position!

“We might get another centre-half in, potentially another midfielder, and another striker.”