Rotherham United breaks its signing fee record to land targetman Freddie Ladapo

ENGLISH League One side Rotherham United has broken its transfer record by signing Nigerian-born youngster Freddie Ladapo for a fee believed to be in the region of around £500,000 with a further £150,000 in potential add-ons.

Ladapo, 26, a lanky targetman, who is over six feet tall, joins the Millers on a three-year deal after scoring 19 goals for Plymouth Argyle last season. With the Pilgrims being relegated, he was automatically became the subject of a bidding war but his purchase price has caught everyone by surprise as Rotherham surpassed the £400,000-plus figure it paid to take winger Jon Taylor from Peterborough United three years ago.

Tomorrow, Ladapo will meet up with his new teammates when they report back for pre-season training. He is the Millers' third arrival of the summer, following deals for centre-forward Carlton Morris and midfielder Shaun MacDonald.

Ladapo said: "The club approached me in a very professional manner and sold me the dream of coming here and doing well. I have a lot of physical attributes, as I have pace and strength and can run in behind and score goals."

as a teenager, Ladapo started out at Colchester United and then dropped into non-league football before being snapped up in 2016 by Premier League Crystal Palace, for whom he made one top-flight appearance. Southend United was his next destination in January 2018, but there he only enjoyed three league starts until a move to Plymouth at the start of last season.

He came good at Home Park, scoring 18 goals in 42 league starts and also hitting the target once in the Carabao Cup. After their relegation, Rotherham fought off interest from several other clubs, including League One rivals Sunderland and Portsmouth, to land their man.

Rotherham manager Paul Warne, said: "Freddie is someone we have tried to sign in the past. We have been chasing him, along with many other clubs, for many weeks."

One of the clubs Rotherham successfully beat to Ladapo was Portsmouth. Pompey had agreed a fee with Plymouth last week but were unable to finalise personal terms with the player.