Rotherham United are keen on Blackburn Rovers centre-back Daniel Ayala, who is out of contract in the summer, says journalist Darren Witcoop.
Ayala, 32, has just finished his third season at Blackburn Rovers. The former Liverpool man made his name with Middlesbrough where he made 229 total appearances, earning promotion to the Premier League in 2016.
But he’s not had the same impact at Ewood Park where he’s managed just 56 Championship appearances in three seasons owing to injury.
This season, the Spaniard has played just 25 times in the Championship and he sees his contract expire next month, with Rovers set to assess his future at the club.
But Witcoop has now revealed on Twitter that Rotherham United are keen to bolster their centre-back options in the summer, and that Ayala is a ‘potential option’ for the Millers.
Rotherham aiming to sign a new defender this summer following Richard Wood’s exit. With injury-hit Sean Morrison’s future unclear, Blackburn’s out-of-contract centre-half Daniel Ayala believed to be on Millers’ radar as potential option #rufc #rotherhamfc #BRFC #BlackburnRovers
— Darren Witcoop (@DarrenOWitcoop) May 9, 2023
As Witcoop points out, Rotherham are set to lose Richard Wood and Sean Morrison as things stand, with Wood leaving and Morrison out of contract. Grant Hall has also seen his loan spell from Middlesbrough come to an end.
A good potential signing?
There’s no doubting Ayala’s ability. He’s been a prominent Championship player for years now and on a free transfer it would be a really shrewd signing for Rotherham.
But Matt Taylor might not want to take a risk on such an injury-prone player. Ayala has really struggled over the past few years and Taylor will surely want fit and firing players to come in this summer, especially after seeing the likes of Morrison spend the whole year on the sidelines.
If Ayala becomes a free agent and he can prove his fitness in the summer, then it could be worth a short-term contract from Rotherham, who finished the 2022/23 campaign in 19th place of the table.
