"I don't think a deal is far away, to be honest" ... Ollie Rathbone gives a welcome update on his Rotherham United new-contract talks

OLLIE Rathbone is seeking to sign the new contract that will extend his stay with Rotherham United once the transfer window comes to a close.  

The news will delight fans as the midfield man has made a huge impact since moving to AESSEAL New York Stadium in 2021 and has become a huge crowd favourite.

Talks between the club and the player's agent have been taking place for a number of weeks and are set to reach their final stages after the deadline for summer recruitment passes tomorrow night.

“I don't think a deal is far away, to be honest,” the 26-year-old told the Advertiser. “I still want to get something done. My intention is definitely to stay. I'm optimistic something will be finalised soon.”

The former Rochdale man still has a year left on his present deal and the Championship Millers have an option to extend it by a further 12 months.

However, they want to tie down one of their prize assets for even longer to ward off potential suitors and to ensure they are in a position to demand the highest fee possible in the event that they decide to cash in on his talents.

For the last three months, Rotherham have been focusing most of their attention on adding new players to their squad and have been seeking this week to make three more signings before the close of business.

“There's not loads of ‘back and forth’ at the moment but I'm hoping something will get sorted,” Rathbone said. “The transfer window is still open so I think the hierarchy at the club have a lot of their attention on that. Hopefully things will happen after that.”

Manager Matt Taylor is a huge Ollie admirer and has given him the captain's armband when club skipper Sean Morrison doesn't play.

“He's a bundle of energy, which is why we all love him,” the boss said. “He's a player who epitomises everything that is Rotherham United. The energy he puts into his performances goes through the whole team.

“We've given him a bigger role in a leadership capacity within the changing room. He's someone we feel the fans can relate to. He's someone we want to build a positive team around.”

Rathbone says he loves life in South Yorkshire and the fact that the Millers stayed up in the second tier last term after three failed attempts has reinforced his wish to commit his future to them.

“A second season in the Championship is huge,” he said. “When I came to the club, playing at this level was what I wanted to achieve. It's gone really well so far and hopefully we can keep building.”