Middlesbrough pull the plug on move for Jordan Rhodes

The Sky Bet Championship side had a reported £11 million bid for the Blackburn Rovers player accepted on Friday night and he was left out of Paul Lambert’s squad at Oxford on Saturday.

However, the move hit the rocks following discussions between Boro and Rhodes.

A short club statement posted on Middlesbrough’s website read: “The club can confirm that we have held talks with Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes over the weekend but have failed to agree terms.”

Rhodes revealed to Sky Sports News HQ that he was “baffled and disappointed” that Boro had pulled the plug.

“I’ll knuckle down and get my work head back on at Blackburn,” he added. “It’s a great club.”

Meanwhile, former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady is close to joining a Sky Bet Championship side on loan, Everton manager Robert Martinez has revealed.

McGeady has made only one first-team appearance for the Merseyside outfit this term.

A statement on Everton’s website yesterday said the 29-year-old Republic of Ireland international had been given permission to move on a short-term basis in order to get game time until the end of the campaign.

It mentioned reported interest from Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds and Blackburn, and Martinez said: “It seems very close. We’ve agreed terms with two teams in the Championship. It’s just a matter of time before one of the deals is clinched.”