West Brom and Leeds have contacted Newcastle about signing Dwight Gayle before the transfer window shuts on Thursday, according to the Northern Echo.
Steve Bruce wants to hold onto the striker but has also admitted that if Gayle wants to leave then it might be tough to stop him.
The report claims that Bruce will hold talks with Gayle on Tuesday in a bid to persuade him to stay.
Leeds are looking for a new striker after Kemar Roofe completed his move to Anderlecht, while West Brom’s situation is said to have changed.
They had said earlier in the summer that they couldn’t afford to re-sign Gayle after a successful loan spell, but have since made £30m from sales.
Championship goal machine
Gayle is a goal machine… in the Championship. It’s no wonder that both West Brom and Leeds want him.
Leeds need a striker before Thursday after Roofe left for Anderlecht. West Brom know how valuable Gayle is as a player after having him on loan last season.
Gayle’s lowest tally in the Championship was in the 12/13 season when he scored 13 in 29 games for Peterborough.
Since then he’s scored more than a goal every two games for both Newcastle and West Brom in the English second tier.
Likely to happen?
It all seems to be about first-team football. While he seems to be too good for the Championship, Gayle has always struggled in the Premier League.
He was considered surplus to requirements last season under Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez but he stormed the Championship again, scoring 24 games in 40 games and helping to fire West Brom to the play-offs.
However, this is a new manager and Steve Bruce seems to feel differently. He wants Gayle to stay although it could be tough to persuade him that he will get many starts after the signing of club-record striker Joelinton.