Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes has expressed his desire to speak with fellow Sky Bet Championship club Middlesbrough, over a possible transfer.
Boro, who came close to signing the striker on loan back in the spring, have reportedly reignited their interested in the Scottish International. However, they are reluctant to meet Rovers’ evaluation of Rhodes which is in the region of £12m - £4m more than Rovers paid Rhodes to bring him from Huddersfield Town back in 2012.
Rhode still has four years on his current contract at Ewood Park and has spoken out about the move, saying the club had advised him that they had rejected an offer from the Teesside club. He also went on to say that he is “ambitious” and that he has never hidden his “desire to play at the highest level.”
Rovers could use the cash
Blackburn are currently £80m in debt and operating under a transfer embargo. They are proving stubborn with regards to any interest in Rhodes, and his strike partner, Rudy Gestede.
Rhodes gathered interest from teams from the top flight last season when two bids from newly relegated Hull City were rejected by the Venky’s.
Scot unhappy after having the chance to enter discussions rejected
The Scot revealed his disappointment with the club, saying that he would have liked to have been able to “talk to them” and that he was “unhappy” to not have been given the opportunity.
The 25-year-old has established himself, in the last few years, as one of the most prolific strikers in the second tier of English football - scoring 74 goals in his 143 appearances in all competitions during his three seasons at the Rovers.
Rhodes was impressed by the performances of Aitor Karanka’s side last campaign, which saw them reach the play-off final before being defeated 2-0 by Norwich City at Wembley. Another thing that has caught his eye is their ambition in the transfer market this summer, most notably Stewart Downing's return to his boyhood club.