Middlesbrough complete signing of Blackburn striker Rhodes

Rob Conlon
Jordan Rhodes: Striker has been prolific at Blackburn

Jordan Rhodes: Striker has been prolific at Blackburn

Middlesbrough have announced the signing of Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

The 25-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Riverside Stadium.

Rhodes joined Blackburn from Huddersfield for £8m in August 2012 and the fee is reported to surpass that figure at £9m.

Boro’s aborted move for Rhodes was resurrected a day after the proposed transfer initially fell through.

And head coach Aitor Karanka has added Rhodes’ firepower to his promotion challengers after missing out on a return to the Barclays Premier League in last season’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “The club is delighted to confirm the arrival of Jordan Rhodes from Blackburn Rovers.

“The 25-year-old striker has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club after joining from Ewood Park for an undisclosed fee.”

Rhodes scored 87 goals in 148 appearances over three years at Huddersfield and netted 28 times in his first season in the Championship with Blackburn.

He scored 85 goals in 169 appearances for Rovers, 11 of them coming this season.

De Laet joins

Boro also on deadline day announced the capture of Leicester defender Ritchie De Laet on loan for the rest of the season.

The 27-year-old, who has two senior Belgium caps, has been with the Foxes since 2012.

He has made over 120 appearances for them, but last started a Premier League match in September.

His first English club was Stoke, and he subsequently joined Manchester United – from whom he spent time on loan at Sheffield United, Preston, Portsmouth, and Norwich – before moving on to Leicester.

De Sart makes it three

Middlesbrough later announced the signing of Julien de Sart from Standard Liege on a three-and-a-half-year contract, subject to international clearance.

The 21-year-old defensive midfielder joined for an undisclosed fee and could make his debut against Blackburn.

Meanwhile, Fernando Amorebieta’s loan from Fulham has been cut short and he has returned to Craven Cottage.