Aston Villa’s £6m bid for Middlesbrough striker rejected

Aston Villa have seen their opening £6m bid for Middlesbrough outcast Jordan Rhodes turned down, reports The Daily Mail.

Rhodes, 26, is free to leave Riverside this month after Aitor Karanka’s side brought in Rudy Gestede, from Villa, and Chelsea’s Patrick Bamford.

The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Championship outfit Villa this month, with Steve Bruce keen for options up front with Jonathan Kodjia and Jordan Ayew away with on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Coupled with the fact Ross McCormack has not had the desired effect since joining from Fulham in a £12m deal at the start of the season and Gabby Agbonlahor’s continued struggles, Bruce is looking to address their problem up front before the play-off positions are out of reach.

As a result they have lined up Rhodes, who has great pedigree in the Championship, although they will need to increase their initial £6m bid that would have risen to £10 with add-ons with Middlesbrough looking to recoup £9m up front for the former Scotland international.

In the last four Championship campaigns only Ross McCormack (69) has scored more goals than Rhodes (62).

For more stats on Jordan Rhodes, click here to visit his WhoScored player page