STEVE BRUCE insists Aston Villa will not be increasing their initial £6m bid for Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes.
Villa have been pursuing Rhodes all month, and had a bid of £6m, with a further £2m of potential add-ons, rejected by Boro officials earlier this month.
With Jordan Ayew set to leave Villa Park to move to Swansea City in the next 24 hours, Bruce is keen to bring in another striker before the transfer window closes tomorrow night.
Boro head coach Aitor Karanka does not see Rhodes having a future at the Riverside, with the Scotsman not even making the squad for Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round win over Accrington Stanley.
However, having shelled out £13m to sign Rhodes from Blackburn Rovers last January, chairman Steve Gibson is adamant he will not allow the striker to leave for less than £10m this month.
That is more than Villa are willing to pay, and Bruce has claimed he will not be making an improved offer ahead of tomorrow night's deadline.
"We made a bid for him (Rhodes) and we went as far as we could," said Bruce. "Nothing has changed. Whether that changes in the next 24 hours, I’m not so sure."
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