Cardiff City are paying £1.6m for Rotherham United striker Danny Ward.
He has completed his switch from South Yorkshire to South Wales in a transfer which is a club record for Rotherham.
The fee is officially undisclosed, but it is thought Cardiff have agreed to pay £1.6m plus add-ons. Ward’s former club Huddersfield received half of the fee thanks to a sell-on clause.
Ex-Rotherham manager Steve Evans took Ward, 26, to Rotherham from Huddersfield in January 2015 and he was rated in the £4m bracket, but proposed transfers were not completed in the January transfer window.
The deal, and a three-year contract, was agreed earlier this week and the Championship club confirmed the move today.
Ward’s contract at Rotherham was due to expire this summer, but the Millers exercised a clause in his contract that extended his deal for a further 12 months.
Ward has committed to the Bluebirds until the summer of 2020, becoming the Club’s fifth signing of the summer, following goalkeepers Neil Etheridge and Lee Camp plus Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Callum Paterson and Lee Camp.
Bradford-born Camp links up with Cardiff manager Neil Warnock for a second time, having worked under him at Rotherham in 2016.
Speaking to cardiffcityfc.co.uk, Warnock said: “I’ve worked with Danny and I know what he’s about. During my time at Rotherham he was either scoring the goals or making them for the team.
“He played wide left, right, in the hole, up front. Danny’s a crowd-pleaser with good energy levels, but I also think there’s a lot more to come from him.
“I’ve been chasing Danny since Christmas and I think we’ve finally got him now for an excellent price.
“We tried a few systems last season and I think we’re going to need that variety again. Danny gives us that flexibility in the attacking areas that we’re going to need.
“Danny knows what I want and this is a great opportunity for him.”
Ward spoke of his delight, saying: “I’ve played at Cardiff City Stadium a few times and always enjoy it. It’s a lovely place to play. Hopefully we can fill it up in the new season and really get going.
“The Gaffer, Blacky (Kevin Blackwell) and Jeppo (Ronnie Jepson) really turned things round at Rotherham when they came in and I loved playing for them. I’m looking forward to it again at my new club.
“I already know Mozza (Sean Morrison), Pilks (Anthony Pilkington), Pelts (Lee Peltier), Gunnar (Aron Gunnarsson) and a few others. Coming to a place where you already know people makes it a bit easier. I’m looking forward it.”
