SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY are leading the race to sign Jordan Rhodes from Middlesbrough this month, with head coach Aitor Karanka desperate to make changes and improve his squad ahead of the final few months of the campaign.

Karanka is prepared to let Rhodes – along with winger Stewart Downing – follow David Nugent out of the exit doors at the club’s Rockliffe Park training headquarters before the end of the transfer window.

And the 26-year-old striker is not short of suitors in the Championship, although Middlesbrough’s determination to recoup the initial £9m fee, and a little more, they paid for him a year ago has caused a problem.

Aston Villa and Derby County are two clubs to have balked at the asking price so far, while Sheffield Wednesday are reluctant to give Middlesbrough what they want at this stage because of Financial Fair Play rules.

However, a switch to Hillsborough rather than anywhere else in the Championship looks the strongest possibility, even if Owls boss Carlos Carvalhal is prepared to be patient as the transfer window progresses.

A long line of second tier clubs are all interested in signing him on loan initially, with a view to a permanent deal, and that could mean Rhodes’ future goes right down to the wire this month.

But his links to Wednesday, where Rhodes’ father Andy is a coach, are well documented and he would be interested in a switch to South Yorkshire, an area where he was also a success at Huddersfield before moving to Blackburn in August 2012.

Middlesbrough would prefer to bring in the money now, enabling Karanka to invest in his own strengthening plans, so some sort of compromise would have to be reached over an initial payment.

Karanka – who has handed Rhodes two starts and four substitute appearances this season - is looking at a number of attacking options following Nugent’s £2.5m move to Derby and Stewart Downing’s probable departure to Crystal Palace this month.

Stoke City’s Bojan Krkic, Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu and Paris St Germain’s Jese Rodriguez have all been considered by the Middlesbrough boss, who is also keen on Hull's att6acking midfielder Robert Snodgrass. He has already paid £6m to Aston Villa for Rudy Gestede.

Defensively Karanka is keeping his options open too and remains interested in Borussia Dortmund’s Nevan Subotic, who saw his summer switch to the Riverside break down over medical issues.

Nevertheless Karanka made the decision to recall highly-rated teenage defender Dael Fry from his loan at Rotherham – and has admitted he might choose not to send him back out on a temporary basis.

Fry, 19, was asked to train with Gareth Southgate’s England squad in October but his last of ten appearances for Rotherham was in November, so the decision was made to take him back to Teesside.

Karanka is a big admirer of the youngster and feels he is better off under his watch than heading out on loan somewhere if he is not going to play.

“We were expecting him to play more at Rotherham but to be there without playing or to be here training with us, for him and for us, it’s better to have him here to keep going with his development,” said Karanka.

“I think it will be difficult as there needs to be a club who can offer him to play every single day, he's now 19-years-old and needs to play, but at least if he's not playing here he can train in this environment. He's ready to train, so we just need to find a place for him to play.”

Karanka has already allowed midfielder Julien de Sart to join Derby and goalkeeper Tomas Mejias to head for Rayo Vallecano, both on loan.

And he said: “Julien asked me my thoughts and I told him that the best thing for a player like him, young and a good player, is to play. Derby is a team which I was pleased when I heard as they play our style, the manager, the club. It's a good move for him and it's a good move for Derby as he's a very good player with a bright future.

“Tomas is good for both of us, for him to play and to show he's a good keeper and if he does well he can come back. We have space for a goalkeeper, especially if they're playing and they're confident. That would be a headache for me.”