Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has indicated that he would have continued to pursue a deal for Middlesbrough forward Jordan Rhodes had the club not signed Brentford striker Scott Hogan during the January transfer window according to the Sheffield Star.
Villa were strongly linked with a move for Rhodes in the January transfer window but instead managed to complete the £11 million signing of Hogan on transfer deadline day.
It has been reported that had Villa not secured the impressive capture of Hogan, the club would have taken their chase of out of favour Boro forward Rhodes to the wire.
Rhodes signed for Villa’s Sky Bet Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday on transfer deadline day on a loan deal until the end of the current campaign although The Owls do have the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old Oldham born hotshot has gone on to make eight appearances for Sheffield Wednesday and the player has already bagged three goals.
Rhodes has built a reputation as being one of the most clinical strikers in the Sky Bet Championship. The player netted 87 goals in just 147 appearances for former club Huddersfield Town while he also bagged 85 goals in 169 matches for Blackburn Rovers prior to his move to Middlesbrough in February 2016.
The striker struggled to make an impact at The Riverside Stadium although some Boro fans believe that Rhodes should have been given more game time.
