Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle reportedly rejected a late transfer window move to West Bromwich Albion after a deal had been agreed between the two clubs.

Gayle was the Baggies' top scorer in while on loan in 2019/20, finding the net 24 times for the club, as well as providing eight assists.

West Brom’s pursuit of Gayle was well-documented throughout the summer and it appears that the Midlands club were close to getting their man.

According to the Northern Echo, the two clubs had agreed a season-long deal with a guaranteed permanent £15million transfer if the Baggies are promoted in the 2019/20 campaign.

However, the report claims that the 28-year-old rejected the move to the Hawthorns, which led to the Championship side moving for Charlie Austin on transfer deadline day.

Stoke City were also understood to be close in sealing a permanent deal for Gayle but were unable to agree wages.

The striker has a great record in the second tier of English football, having scored 59 goals in 100 appearances in the league.

The Baggies have added some significant firepower this summer with Austin, Kenneth Zohore, Charlie Willock, Grady Diangana, and Matheus Pereira all joining the club.

West Brom face Millwall in their second Championship game of the season, with both sides looking to make it two wins in two.

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The Verdict

It was a good transfer window overall for West Brom and Slaven Bilic has been provided with some exciting weapons for his promotion push.

The addition of Gayle would have made it a great window and the jury is still out on whether Austin will be a suitable replacement for the 28-year-old.

The ex-Southampton striker has got a good record in the Championship, having bagged 66 goals in 129 games, but has not scored more than 10 goals since the 2014/15 campaign with QPR.