Transfer news from the North East

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.

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.

Newcastle United have confirmed that Spanish forward Ayoze Perez has signed a new 'long-term' deal with the club.

The 22-year-old has put pen-to-paper on a new five-and-a-half-year deal which will keep him at St. James' Park until the summer of 2021.

Perez joined the Magpies in June 2014 from his hometown team Tenerife. He quickly became an important part of the first-team squad at Newcastle and has scored 12 goals in 63 appearances in all competitions.

Middlesbrough have resurrected a potential deal for Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes, according to reports.

Both clubs released statements over the weekend saying the £9 million move had collapsed after talks between Boro and the player's representatives broke down.

But it's understood that discussions between the two parties have now resumed.

York City have confirmed that defender John McCombe has left the club by mutual consent.

The 30-year-old arrived at Bootham Crescent on a two-and-a-half-year deal in January 2014 after being released from League Two side Mansfield Town.

The central defender went on to play an integral part in the team which reached the League Two play-offs in 2014.

McCombe made 61 appearances for the Minstermen, scoring four goals.

West Brom are determined to keep Saido Berahino, despite reports of a Newcastle bid for the striker.

The Magpies have been continually linked with Berahino as boss Steve McClaren looks to buy big in January to safeguard their Barclays Premier League future, and reports emerged of a £21million offer on Sunday.

But Albion do not expect to receive an acceptable bid for the England Under-21 international this month, and chairman Jeremy Peace is unlikely to sanction a move this close to the transfer deadline.

West Brom rejected four bids from Tottenham in the summer - which led to Berahino threatening to strike - and he has struggled for form this season.

Last year Berahino, whose contract expires in 2017, scored 20 goals for Albion, and boss Tony Pulis knows owner Peace will make the final call.