Rotherham United set to complete Portsmouth swoop | OneFootball

The full-back currently plies his trade for Portsmouth - and he played a part in taking them back to the Championship.

However, he has been released, with his contract at Fratton Park set to expire this summer.

The Millers have already moved quickly this summer, with Jonson Clarke-Harris already set to join on July 1st when his contract at Peterborough United comes to an end.

There had been speculation about Clarke-Harris' future for some time and that potentially gave the Millers more time to prepare for a potential swoop for the striker.

However, it wouldn't have been a surprise if the South Yorkshire outfit faced a considerable amount of competition for his signature, with the player a real asset in League One.

Also shining in the second tier in the past, Rotherham have done an extremely good job to pull off this signing, and they also have their manager in place.

Dismissing Leam Richardson during the latter stages of the 2023/24 campaign, they moved to bring Steve Evans back to the AESSEAL New York Stadium, and that meant they were able to start the transfer window strongly with the club knowing what type of players they need to bring in to suit the manager's style.

There's still plenty of work for them to do, with several players being released and their loanees returning to their respective parent clubs.

Losing Viktor Johansson on the expiration of his contract, they will need to take a closer look at their goalkeeping department, as well as other areas.

Rotherham United set to swoop for Joe Rafferty

It wouldn't have been a surprise if Pompey had held on to Rafferty for another season, considering he played a fair amount during the 2023/24 campaign.

Playing a part in guiding them to promotion, he will leave Fratton Park with the fans' best wishes, and it looks as though he will be snapped up very quickly.

Nixon believes Rotherham are set to finalise a deal for the former Preston North End man, with the Millers winning the "race" for the 30-year-old.

Several teams were thought to be in the race for the player, but Rafferty has seemingly decided to sign on with Evans' men.

Rotherham United have made a bright start to the summer

Although some would argue that Rotherham aren't thinking too far ahead with the signings of Clarke-Harris and Rafferty, with both not in the early stages of their careers, both could be great medium-term additions.

When he's given a sufficient amount of game time, Clarke-Harris can be one of the best strikers in the third tier.

And he could be the man to guide the Millers back to the second tier, also performing well in the Championship with Peterborough during the 2021/22 season.

Rafferty has also got second-tier experience under his belt and could be a good player to have on a multi-year deal because of this.

There's more work to be done in the coming months, but the Millers have moved well during the early stages of the off-season.