Aston Villa have been told that they must cough up £10million if they want to sign Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes, according to The Mirror. The Scottish forward wants to move on this month after struggling to hold down a regular place in the starting eleven at the Riverside Stadium.
Boro boss Aitor Karanka snapped up the 26-year-old this time last year in a bid to secure Premier League football, which they ultimately secured at the end of the season, finishing as runners-up behind Sean Dyche’s Burnley. However he has only started 15 league games and wants to head out to play much more regularly.
Steve Bruce is a keen admirer of the striker, who also scored goals during his time at Huddersfield Town. An original loan move to bring the player to Villa Park was rebuffed by the Teesside club, as they’re only interested in letting the player leave permanently.
The Championship club recently sold Rudy Gestede to Middlesbrough in a £6million deal, which was the price they paid for the forward when signing him from Blackburn. With Middlesbrough signing the player for £10million, they too want to recoup 100% of what they paid to bring the player into the club in the first place.
The transfer fee looks set to be the big stumbling block in this area, with Villa owner Dr Tony Xia seemingly unwilling to part way with as much as £10million. Therefore, negotiations look set to continue for some time yet, which will frustrate wantaway Rhodes in his quest to get back on the football pitch.
