RUDY Gestede is poised to complete a £6m transfer to Aston Villa – but Blackburn Rovers owners Venky’s have not changed their stance on his strike-partner Jordan Rhodes.

Gestede said his goodbyes to his Rovers team-mates and staff at Brockhall yesterday morning before travelling to the Midlands to finalise his big money move to Tim Sherwood’s side.

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Rovers do not want to lose their talismanic targetman and leading goalscorer from last season.

But Gestede, who has scored 34 times in 65 appearances for the club, has made it abundantly clear that he wants to make the step up to the Premier League.

Crystal Palace, in January, and top-flight new boys Watford, earlier in the summer, had bids for the 26-year-old rejected by Venky’s.

But Villa, managed by Rovers’ former Premiership title-winning captain Sherwood, have had a £6m offer accepted.

That will represent a huge profit for Rovers.

They paid £200,000 to sign Gestede from Cardiff City in January 2014 after a successful loan spell.

And Cardiff will not be entitled to a penny of the money Rovers will make on the Benin international as they failed to insert a sell-on clause.

It is believed that Rovers’ embargo for failing Financial Fair Play would be lifted if they were to sell both Gestede and Rhodes.

But it is understood that Venky’s still have no intention of letting Rhodes go to big-spending Championship rivals Middlesbrough.

The Scotland international admitted to being ‘unhappy’ after Rovers rejected a fresh bid, worth up to £12m, from last season’s losing play-off finalists.

But as things stand it would take a major swing in opinion from Venky’s, or an offer from a Premier League club, for Rhodes to be allowed to leave.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka, the former Real Madrid star who was assistant to Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu, appeared to fan the flames when he said: “If I was the Blackburn manager, or people at the club, I would not like to have a player who is not happy in my team.”

When asked for his response Rovers boss Gary Bowyer said: “I have a very good relationship with Mr Karanka and I have a lot of respect for him for what he has done in the game and who he has worked with, in Mr Mourinho.

“Middlesbrough very narrowly missed out on getting up to the Premiership last season in the play-off final and they have had a right good go at it in the summer, taking it to a new level with the signing of Stewart Downing.

“When they put out a massive investment like that, and with the other investment you hear they are interested in doing, then obviously they start firmly as favourites in my eyes.

“They were interested in a wonderful striker, in Jordan Rhodes, who we don’t want to lose, they had a bid which was rejected, and that’s as far as it goes.

“For him to comment on how I was feeling at the time, well that was very considerate of him.

“People are very quick to judge you in how you feel and what you’re thinking but with respect to them, until they’ve spent two years working at Blackburn Rovers, they’re not really in a great position to comment.

“With what we’ve had to contend with over the last two years, well, you don’t get that on a coaching course.”

Rhodes, having recovered from the ankle injury he sustained in the pre-season opener at Accrington Stanley, is expected to be fit for tomorrow’s final friendly of the summer, at home to Wigan Athletic (3pm).

Rovers, meanwhile, are still attempting to move on goalkeeper Jake Kean.

Rovers U21s continue their pre-season preparations away to Matt Jansen’s Chorley tonight (7.30pm).