MIDDLESBROUGH will have to see off competition from Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Swansea City if they are to land long-term transfer target Jordan Rhodes this summer.

Having watched his side miss out on a place in the top-flight as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Norwich City in the play-off final, Boro chairman Steve Gibson has pledged to continue investing to the limit of the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations in an attempt to secure promotion next season.

Boro are expected to agree a loan deal that will see Chelsea defender Nathan Ake move to the Riverside for the whole of the campaign, but there is a recognition that the priority for the close season must be to ensure that the Teessiders carry more of an attacking threat next term.

With Patrick Bamford unlikely to return for another season, and Jelle Vossen’s future uncertain following the expiry of his initial loan deal, Boro’s recruitment team have identified Rhodes as their number one target despite Blackburn having slapped a £6m price tag on the striker’s head.

Boro attempted to sign Rhodes on loan in March, with a view to a permanent deal this summer, but Blackburn officials refused to release the 25-year-old Scotland international.

Ideally, they do not want to lose him this summer either, but Blackburn’s failure to mount a sustained promotion challenge will make it harder for them to hold on to a player who scored 21 Championship goals last season, more than anyone in the Boro squad.

Blackburn’s financial position means they will find it hard to rebuff big-money offers for their leading goalscorer, but while Boro will be confident of beating off potential competition from Championship rivals Derby County and Nottingham Forest, they could find it harder to persuade Rhodes to reject the chance of a move to the Premier League in order to head to Teesside.

Both Crystal Palace and Swansea have signalled an interest in the Scotsman, with the former determined to bolster their attacking options after a strong second half of last season under Alan Pardew and the latter still looking to spend the bulk of the money they received from the sale of Wilfried Bony to Manchester City.

Gibson is determined to hold on to the players that took Boro to the brink of promotion last season, although Aston Villa have been linked with a potential move for highly-rated full-back George Friend.