Ashley Fletcher setback for Rotherham United as striker goes elsewhere

The Millers wanted to take the Watford centre-forward on a season-long loan and were ready to contribute a weekly five-figure sum towards his wages as their part of the deal.

The former Manchester United youngster had told manager Paul Warne he wanted to come to South Yorkshire but Wigan made a late move to acquire his services and this evening announced his arrival at the DW Stadium.

Fletcher is on big money with the Hornets and the Latics were able to pay a larger percentage of his salary to his parent side than Rotherham.

Warne was confident earlier in the week that he had landed the man he had been chasing for a month but by this morning news had filtered through that the Millers were about to be gazumped.

Speaking to the media at 9.30am, he said: "Prior to this press conference I've heard Chinese whispers that our target has gone somewhere else. 

"After this conversation I will quickly try to get hold of his agent to find out what's happened. It doesn't look that positive.

"Of course you get frustrated. It feels worse when you're virtually at the last step and it suddenly gets taken away from you."

Fletcher's star has waned after a decent spell at Middlesbrough and Rotherham believed they could re-ignite the 26-year-old's career.

He scored 28 times in 108 appearances on Teesside after a £6.5 million move from West Ham United in 2017.

The Millers will now switch their attention to another striker, who is with a Premier League team.

He is likely to be allowed out on loan but only when his parent club have signed an attacker themselves.