Championship side Middlesbrough have cooled their interest in Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle, according to yesterday's update from Football Insider.

As per this same report, Boro owner Steve Gibson has blocked this move because he is reluctant to sanction incoming agreements for players who are over 30, with Chris Wilder's side now likely to look elsewhere with the second-tier outfit in desperate need of addressing their forward area.

Another side that would benefit from addressing their forward area is West Bromwich Albion, even after the arrival of £7m signing Daryl Dike during the January transfer window.

 

 

With Andy Carroll leaving the club on the expiration of his contract this summer, Kenneth Zohore not exactly firing on all cylinders during his time at The Hawthorns and the likes of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson often playing on the wing, they have a shortage of options up top and could benefit from recruiting at least one striker in the next month and a half.

They are thought to have engaged in talks with Newcastle regarding a potential return for Gayle - but as of yet - neither them, nor Boro or Watford have been able to put together a financial package that has satisfied the Magpies and the forward.

This is a real red flag for the Baggies - because they are already likely to have forked out on considerable wages for the likes of John Swift and Jed Wallace this summer, both of whom weren't short of interest before their moves to the West Midlands.

Both may have arrived on free transfers - but they need to ensure their wage bill doesn't become out of control - even with Sam Johnstone's departure potentially giving them more space to fill.

Even with the England international's departure, Albion need to the financial reality of being in the second tier and though the sale of Matheus Pereira and parachute payments have helped, they need to keep their wage bill to a respectable level to prevent a possible breach of the EFL's financial rules in the future.

Looking at their potential starting lineup for next season, there's even a real chance Gayle may not be in the starting lineup with Steve Bruce potentially eager to start Dike up front.

They have the quality of players at their disposal to play an effective 4-2-3-1 system, with Grant on the left, Wallace on the right, Swift in an advanced midfield role and Dike as the main man up top.

This leaves the likes of Grady Diangana, Robinson and Gayle on the bench, so they shouldn't be looking to pay over the odds for a player that may find himself on the bench more often than not if he re-joins his former side this summer.