Dwight Gayle is ready to quit Newcastle United and push for a permanent switch to West Brom next summer, according to the Northern Echo.
The newspaper claims that the 28-year-old has “little appetite” to return to St James’ Park but ultimately a move to the Black Country could hinge on whether or not the Baggies win promotion back to the Premier League.
It is understood that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley will want an decent fee for Gayle, who cost the Magpies £10million when they signed him from Crystal Palace over two years ago.
Good move for Newcastle?
Gayle is in lethal form for West Brom, scoring nine goals and supplying five assists in 15 appearances across all competitions for the Championship promotion hopefuls, so the better form he is in, the more money Newcastle can demand.
At the end of the day, the ex-Palace man is not someone who can score goals regularly in the Premier League and is much better served as an impact player off the bench in the top-flight.
He won’t score goals consistently enough for Newcastle if he returns to them while they’re still in the top-flight, so cashing in on him may be a good idea.
The Magpies should be able to get over £10million and make a profit on Gayle while they could also knock £40,000-a-week (Spotrac) off their wagebill.
This is Futbol rating 9/10
Likely to happen?
Gayle appears to have his heart set on signing for West Brom permanently, but it all depends on whether Albion can win promotion and whether they want to keep someone who struggles to score in the top-flight if they go up.
It is way too soon to make a solid prediction on whether a move could materialise but at the moment, it does sound plausible.
This is Futbol rating 6/10