Blackburn Rovers skipper Grant Hanley has urged his team-mate Jordan Rhodes to stay at Ewood Park and help the Lancashire outfit make a return to the Premier League.

Scotland striker Rhodes has been strongly linked with a move to the north east, with Middlesbrough thought to be very keen on acquiring the former Huddersfield Town star’s services this summer.

The 25-year-old has admitted he would like to speak with Boro about a potential move but so far the two clubs have not been able to agree a fee, with Rovers, who are 10.00 to be promoted, determined to keep hold of the fine finisher.

Hanley, who is also a Scotland international, wants to see Rhodes stay at Rovers as they bid to prove some doubters wrong and make a return to the top flight.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: “Of course we (want him to stay), somebody with Jordan’s record, he scores that many goals, it’s always a massive asset to a team.

“So it’s a bit of a no-brainer, hopefully Jordan is here this year. I think we’ve got to look towards promotion, that’s first and foremost.

“We’ll be working hard towards that. People have had their opinion on Blackburn for a while now, what they should and shouldn’t be doing.

“We’ve got a tight group of lads here and I can assure you it doesn’t affect us at all. We’ve got our mindset, we’re focused on our job and what we want to achieve for this club. We’re quite confident in the lads we’ve got.”