Watford, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion are yet to put together a suitable financial package that will lure Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle away from St James' Park this summer, according to the Northern Echo.

The 32-year-old made just eight Premier League appearances for the Magpies last term as he failed to assert himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Eddie Howe.

With Chris Wood and Callum Wilson both ahead of him in the pecking order and Howe likely to have the funds to bring in other forwards this summer, he could be in line for an exit and the Northern Echo believe he will definitely be departing Tyneside in the coming months.

 

 

However, his contract at St James' Park doesn't expire until the summer of 2024 and with this, any interested side in his signature will need to fork out a fee if they want to take him away from his current side permanently this summer.

The Englishman is currently training away from the first team alongside fellow teammates Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick, both of whom have also attracted interest from sides in the second tier.

At this stage though, neither Newcastle nor Gayle are satisfied with the terms the Hornets, Boro and the Baggies are currently offering, potentially meaning this deal could drag on throughout the summer.

The Verdict:

A replacement for Emmanuel Dennis may be needed and it looks as though Ashley Fletcher may also be on his way out of Vicarage Road in the coming months, so the addition of a forward or two would certainly make sense.

Bringing in an adequate replacement for Dennis will be particularly important because he was prolific last term and if Gayle can be as good as he was for Newcastle and West Brom in the second tier, he will be a real asset to have.

Former club Albion would also benefit from having him at their disposal - because they are in need of more depth up top following the departure of Andy Carroll, with the likes of Grady Diangana and Callum Robinson failing to have enough of an impact during 2021/22.

He would certainly put pressure on Daryl Dike to keep his performance levels high and that can only be a good thing, with a fit Dike, John Swift and Jed Wallace all likely to make a difference in the final third already.

And for Boro, this is a key area they need to focus on now because their lack of threat up top proved to be costly in the end, with Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun failing to do enough to guide the Teesside outfit into the top six.