The Scotland striker looked all set for Hull City over two years ago.
Could Steve Bruce finally get his mits on Jordan Rhodes this month and bring an end to two-and-a-half years of frustration?
The Telegraph claims that Aston Villa are determined to sign the former Blackburn Rovers striker but are currently being forced to think twice due to Middlesbrough’s hefty £11 million asking price.
Rhodes simply guarantees goals in the lower leagues, having scored prolifically in a struggling side at Ewood Park, though an ongoing dispute over his transfer fee means Bruce could see the Scotland international slip through his fingers once again.
The Geordie gaffer is a long-time admirer of Rhodes’ qualities, having tried desperately to sign him for former club Hull City all the way back in the summer of 2014.
At the time, the prolific striker had found the net 52 times in two Championship seasons with Blackburn and, though he has not managed to replicate such figures in the seasons since, it’s no surprise that Bruce remains at the front of a seemingly lengthy queue of suitors.
The 56-year-old was left furious when Rovers allegedly changed their mind over their prized asset’s future at the last minute with the 2014 summer window creaking shut.
“It’s dead and buried,” then-Tigers boss Bruce said at the time, as reported by The Guardian. “We got an indication from Blackburn that they were willing to do a deal and that obviously changed in 24 hours. That’s their prerogative.
“It gets into the public domain and all of a sudden it’s not going to happen,” Bruce added. “It’s disappointing for everybody concerned, but more disappointing, I would presume, for somebody like Jordan.”
Flash forward to the winter of 2017 and, if Middlesbrough budge on their valuation or Villa accept defeat and stump up the required fee, Bruce could finally get his man.
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