Wrexham sign Rotherham's Rathbone for 'club-record fee'

Ollie Rathbone is a product of Manchester United's academy

Wrexham have signed Rotherham United midfielder Ollie Rathbone for an undisclosed fee which they say is a new club record.

Rathbone has agreed a three-year deal with Wrexham having turned down the chance to stay with Rotherham, who will be rivals in League One this season.

The 27-year-old played made 45 appearances for the Millers last season as they were relegated from the Championship.

Wrexham's previous club-record transfer fee paid was about £300,000 for forward Ollie Palmer in 2022.

"I'm delighted," Rathbone said. "To have back-to-back promotions, the club is obviously doing something very right from the outside looking in.

"It's going to be a long season but I'm hopeful that we'll have another successful season. There's nowhere I'd rather be signing."

Rathbone has been a regular since joining Rotherham from Rochdale in 2021, scoring eight goals in 138 appearances for the Yorkshire club and helping them win promotion from League One in 2021-22.

He spent five years at Rochdale, playing 183 senior games and scoring 15 goals after arriving from Manchester United in 2016.

The Blackburn-born player had only a year to run on his Rotherham contract.

"We're delighted to welcome Ollie to the club," said Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson.

"He's a player with experience at Championship level and [has won] a promotion from League One earlier in his career."

Rathbone is Wrexham’s sixth new recruit of the summer after Dan Scarr, Lewis Brunt, George Dobson, Seb Revan and Callum Burton joined the north Wales club.

Wrexham have also signed goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on a permanent deal after he impressed while on loan from Arsenal last season.

Parkinson’s team begin the new league campaign – the club’s first in the third tier in 19 years – with a home game against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.