MIDDLESBROUGH’S hopes of signing Jordan Rhodes received a significant boost yesterday when the Blackburn Rovers striker hit out at his current employers for denying him the opportunity of talking to the Teessiders.

Boro are set to complete their fourth signing of the summer this weekend, with Italian midfielder Diego Fabbrini on the verge of signing a season-long loan from Premier League new boys Watford.

Fabbrini was at Rockliffe Park yesterday finalising the loan move, but it is the ongoing pursuit of Rhodes that is dominating discussions at Boro’s training ground.

Boro chairman Steve Gibson has been in regular contact with senior officials at Ewood Park, and a formal offer was tabled earlier in the week for the Scotland international, who is the nephew of the Teessiders’ assistant manager, Steve Agnew.

Boro’s offer is understood to have involved an initial payment of around £8m, with a series of potential add-ons over the course of Rhodes’ deal potentially taking the final total beyond the £12m mark.

That is a significant increase on the £8m that Blackburn paid to sign Rhodes from Huddersfield in 2012, and would represent a major boost to a Rovers board that is wrestling with a debt of around £80m and a transfer embargo imposed because of breaches to the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

However, the bid was rejected and Rhodes was prevented from entering into discussions with Gibson and Boro’s chief executive Neil Bausor.

The 25-year-old is clearly aware of the ongoing talks, and has upped the ante by publicly expressing his anger at Blackburn’s intransigent stance.

“I have been advised by the club that they have rejected an offer from Middlesbrough for my services which was in excess of what Blackburn paid for me,” said Rhodes, who was the subject of another unsuccessful bid from Boro in the second half of last season.

“I am ambitious and have never hidden my desire to play at the highest level possible, and that was one of the reasons why I left Huddersfield Town for Blackburn.

“When I left Huddersfield, I felt the timing was right in the next stage of my career, and having seen Middlesbrough’s performances last season in reaching the play-off final, and their ambition this summer in terms of acquisitions, I would have liked to have been able to talk to them and I am unhappy at not being given that opportunity.”

Such a stinging rebuke has left Blackburn in a difficult position. On the one hand, they remain determined to extract the maximum amount possible for Rhodes, and would prefer to sell Rudy Gestede instead and retain the Scotsman for next season.

However, it is hard to see how Rhodes can be reintegrated into Gary Bowyer’s squad after so public an attack, and with Boro now fully aware of the striker’s desire to move to the Riverside, Blackburn’s negotiating position has been significantly weakened.

Boro officials are likely to sit tight over the weekend in order to allow the dust to settle before making renewed contact with their counterparts at Blackburn at the start of next week.

Ideally, Aitor Karanka wants the vast majority of his signings in place by the time his side kick off the new Championship season at Preston on August 9, and Fabbrini’s arrival is the latest step closer to achieving that end.

The 24-year-old has agreed the personal terms of his move, and could travel to the Keepmoat Stadium today to watch his new team-mates play their latest pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers.

Boro had hoped to sign him permanently, but Watford would only agree to a loan deal for a player who predominantly plays on the right-hand side, but who can also feature in a more central attacking-midfield position.

The Italy international made 23 Championship appearances for Watford last season, and also spent time on loan at Millwall and Birmingham City. Boro beat off competition from Birmingham in order to secure his signature.