Rotherham United: Cardiff City head the queue for Danny Ward

Rotherham United striker Danny Ward could be set for a reunion with former Millers manager Neil Warnock.
Danny WardDanny Ward
Danny Ward

Ward is poised to to leave New York Stadium this summer and Championship Cardiff City, where Warnock is now boss, have emerged as favourites to land his signature.

Other second-tier clubs are also interested in the player, but The Star understands that South Wales is the 26-year-old’s preferred destination.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rotherham turned down offers for last season’s 12-goal top scorer in the January transfer window, with chairman Tony Stewart saying the bidding had topped £2 million.

Ward is coming to the end of his two-and-a-half-year contract but the club have just activated their option to extend his deal by 12 months so they can still demand a substantial fee for him.

Manager Paul Warne has said he expects the figures on the table to be close to those being mentioned at the start of the year.

It is thought that Ward’s previous side, Huddersfield Town, are entitled to around 50 per cent of any fee because of a sell-on clause they insisted on when he left the John Smith’s Stadium in January 2015.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ward played under Warnock towards the end of the 2015/16 season when the veteran manager guided the Millers to Championship safety in an unforgettable 16-match reign.

Ironically, Ward wasn’t always in Warnock’s starting 11 because the boss was reluctant to change a winning side and picked Leon Best ahead of him.

Rotherham’s relegation to League One last season has made it virtually inevitable that Ward will leave, but a move has been held up because the player has been out of the country.

“Danny has been on holiday,” assistant manager Richie Barker said last week. “Paul (Warne) spoke to him before he went away. Once he is back, I would expect that to move forward.”

The new Millers third kitThe new Millers third kit
The new Millers third kit
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ipswich Town, where Ward scored twice in a devastating display last term, are believed to also be among the centre-forward’s admirers.

Rotherham have lost out on one of their own strike targets as Cork City’s Sean Maguire has opted to join Preston North End in the Championship, while Oxford United’s Chey Dunkley, a centre-half liked by Warne, has joined League One Wigan Athletic.

The Millers have unveiled their third strip for next year - a black jersey with yellow trim on the sleeves, black shorts and yellow socks.