BLACKBURN Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes should command a fee of at least £10m if he departs this summer, according to former Ewood stalwart Tony Parkes.

Rovers have received no bids for Rhodes so far but are bracing themselves for interest in their top scorer, with newly promoted Hull City understood to be closely considering a move for either the Blackburn man or Burnley’s Charlie Austin.

The offer of Premier League football and the presence of uncle Steve Agnew, the former Rovers midfielder, as assistant manager at the KC Stadium could prove a lure for Rhodes.

But reports have suggested Hull are contemplating coming in with an initial offer of £4m and, with Rhodes still having four years left on his Rovers deal, indications from within Ewood Park have suggested such a bid would be dismissed out of hand.

Gary Bowyer, expected to be named as Rovers’ new permanent boss following his scheduled return from holiday on Friday, has said he is keen to keep the forward and build a team around him next season – while acknowledging that every player has his price.

Rovers paid £8m for Rhodes when they signed him from Huddersfield at the start of the season and Parkes thinks the 23-year-old’s record of 28 goals in 48 games since his move means he must now be valued at £10m.

“I think he has to be worth £10m now,” said Rovers’ former coach and perennial caretaker manager.

“I think he’s worth a little bit more than they paid for him.

“You’d think that if they hadn’t had Jordan Rhodes scoring in almost every game they would have been well in the relegation zone this season.

“Jordan doesn’t seem to be a mercenary, he seems like a decent lad, but if a Premier League club comes in then you’d think he might be tempted by that.

“If they sold him they would have to replace him though, and it’s not easy to do that in the Championship.”

Hull are believed to have watched Rhodes in the final weeks of the season and Steve Bruce will be in the market for a striker this summer.

They achieved automatic promotion this term despite their top scorer, midfielder Robert Koren, netting only nine goals.

Another option the Tigers are believed to be contemplating is a move for Austin, who only has one year left on his contract at Burnley.

Rhodes has also been linked with Sam Allardyce’s West Ham and his mother is the sister of Hull’s assistant boss Agnew, a Rovers player between 1991 and 1993.

Hull are expected to have a sizeable budget at their disposal ahead of their return to the Premier League and are also thought to be considering a move for keeper Greg Sandomierski if Rovers decide not to convert the Pole’s season-long loan from Genk into a permanent deal.

With Bowyer set to be appointed as Rovers boss imminently, the 41-year-old is now starting to make plans for the summer and is understood to have recommended the club’s move to sign Millwall winger Chris Taylor on a Bosman free transfer.

Rovers are thought to be close to completing that deal, although there remains a possibility it may not be finalised until after Bowyer is confirmed as manager.

Venky’s are believed to be continuing discussions on a potential resolution to boardroom issues at the club.

The owners have lined up the possibility of bringing in a new board member to lead the decision making at Ewood Park, but that move has still not been given the final go-ahead.

Rovers are moving closer to finalising their pre-season plans, which may include a home friendly at Ewood in the week before the start of the new Football League campaign.