BLACKBURN Rovers are keen to keep Jordan Rhodes at Ewood Park for the rest of the season – unless Middlesbrough agree to paying a substantial transfer fee in the summer.

Boro are one of four Championship clubs to have had discussions with Rovers about signing the prolific £12m-rated Football League goalscorer.

And Blackburn are willing to listen to offers for the striker, even though they are informing interested clubs that they are not willing to allow him to leave on a purely loan basis until the end of the season.

Rhodes is expected to start against Bolton tonight but that will not put off Middlesbrough, who are being kept up to date with developments in the hope of landing him to boost their promotion push.

The Teesside club’s promotion rivals Derby County are also interested in landing the 25-year-old, but neither are particularly keen on paying the asking price while it is unclear what division they will be in next season.

Rhodes, who has 66 goals in 131 appearances for Blackburn, was regularly scouted by Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland before he moved from Huddersfield for £8m in 2012.