MIDDLESBROUGH’S hopes of signing Jordan Rhodes will be scuppered if Watford complete the capture of the striker’s Blackburn Rovers team-mate Rudy Gestede.

Having missed out on Patrick Bamford, who has signed a season-long loan with Crystal Palace, Boro head coach Aitor Karanka has identified Rhodes as his number one target as he looks to strengthen an attack that misfired on a number of occasions last season.

Boro officials have been in contact with their counterparts at Ewood Park to discuss the Scotland international’s potential availability, and while they are yet to table a formal offer, they are poised to step up their interest shortly.

Blackburn, who are operating with around £80m of debt, are operating under a transfer embargo after breaching the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations, and while their manager, Gary Bowyer, continues to insist that he does not want to lose any of his leading names this summer, there is an acceptance that funds will have to be generated before the transfer window closes.

However, while Rhodes’ future has been the subject of considerable speculation for a while now, sources in Lancashire claim it is Gestede who is much more likely to leave before the start of next season.

The 26-year-old scored 20 goals in 39 Championship appearances last season, but whereas Blackburn’s owners regard Rhodes as their flagship striker, Gestede’s position is much less secure.

Watford are understood to have had a £4m bid rejected earlier this month, but the Premier League newcomers are expected to return with an improved offer before the end of the week and while Blackburn have been holding out for around £7m, a compromise agreement seems likely.

Gestede, a Benin international, has indicated a desire to move to the Premier League, with Norwich City also interested, and there is now every chance of him leaving Rovers before the new Championship season begins.

That would have a major impact on Rhodes’ position, as Blackburn would be extremely reluctant to lose both of their frontline strikers in the same transfer window.

Their stance could alter if Boro were to match their £10m valuation of the Scotsman, but there is little chance of the Teessiders making such a high offer in the wake of their £8m outlay for Stewart Downing and Christian Stuani, whose move from Espanyol should be confirmed before the start of next week.