Barnsley have been given permission to speak to Rochdale boss Keith Hill about the vacant managers post at Oakwell.
Hill is the main target for the Reds to succeed Mark Robins and now the 42-year-old will be interviewed for the post.
A Rochdale AFC statement said:
Rochdale Football Club would like to confirm that they have received an official approach from Barnsley Football Club requesting permission to speak to their manager Keith Hill regarding the vacant managers position at Oakwell.
It is with great reluctance that the Rochdale board of directors have given their permission to Barnsley to speak to Keith and in doing so the board of directors honour the agreement that they have with Keith.
A Barnsley FC statement countered the one from the League One outfit:
"The Board can confirm the press release issued by Rochdale AFC that Barnsley FC have been given permission to speak to Keith Hill regarding our First Team Manager vacancy.We are still in the process of qualifying our shortlist and seeking permission to speak is the normal protocol for interviewing employees of other clubs,This development should not be taken by our fans to mean an imminent announcement of an appointment."