How much money Rotherham United have actually landed for Sam Nombe’s MK Dons transfer | OneFootball

The Millers have finally cashed in on their talisman - but have they recieved his true value?

Rotherham United’s 2026-27 season will get underway in less than two weeks’ time, but there’s still plenty to work to be done to give Alex Bruce a squad that looks ready to challenge for an immediate return to League One.

They were pretty much a yo-yo club between the Championship and the third tier for a number of years, but a second relegation in just three years has consigned the Millers to League Two football for the first time since 2013.

For the aforementioned Bruce, it is just his second managerial role after retirement following a stint at non-league Macclesfield - he has most recently been assistant to Karl Robinson at Salford City but has stepped into the head coach role vacated by Matt Hamshaw, having been chosen by new director of football Steve McClaren following snubs from Ian Burchnall and Mat Sadler.

One thing Bruce will have to do is construct the nucleus of a new squad - some remain from last season such as Ar'jany Martha, Denzel Hall, Kian Spence and a handful of others, but just four new faces have arrived so far this summer, with plenty more work to be done.

Sam Nombe fee revealed as Rotherham United sell to MK Dons

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United's transfer activity may now kick on though with the sale of star striker Sam Nombe back to MK Dons confirmed.

Since arriving from Exeter City late on in the summer 2023 transfer window, Nombe has been Rotherham's talisman, albeit he had a slow start to life in South Yorkshire after scoring just three Championship goals in his debut season

League One was more Nombe's level however, with 26 goals across two seasons, and there was basically slim to no chance he would be around for the start of United's fourth tier campaign.

That has come to fruition, and it's a move back to familiar surroundings that the 27-year-old has secured - Nombe came through MK Dons' academy system as a youngster, and some five years after departing, the centre-forward has joined Paul Warne's attack, which already consists of Callum Paterson, Aaron Collins, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and other options.

What wasn't known entirely though was the fee that it took to get Nombe out of the New York Stadium, but the Rotherham Advertiser have now confirmed that United only landed a six-figure sum guaranteed initially, to the tune of £600,000.

Add-ons included in the deal however are said to potentially take the figure past the £1 million mark, which is around the same price that was paid to Exeter for the striker's services nearly three years ago.

Rotherham United fans react to Sam Nombe news - Millers must re-invest ASAP

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Rotherham fans have been reacting to the fact that Nombe has only departed for an initial six figures, with one believing he could've gone for a lot more if he wasn't so injury-prone.

Another Millers supporter believes that Alex Bruce won't see much of the fee that has been recouped for Nombe, with chairman Tony Stewart potentially set to pocket it.

This supporter meanwhile believes that all the money from the Nombe departure simply must be given to Bruce and McClaren to bolster the threadbare squad on the eve of the new season beginning.

Whilst this fan believes that MK Dons have landed a bargain, and Rotherham have not received the striker's market value.

Nombe's exit from the New York Stadium leaves a big hole up-front - Fabio Tavares has arrived this summer from Burton Albion, but he alone won't be enough at the top end of the pitch.