Watford striker Andre Gray's wages could mean he stays at the club this summer, despite interest from a number of Championship clubs, a report from The Express has claimed.

Gray's future has been the subject of much speculation, with the striker yet to be named in a matchday squad for the Hornets this season.

But despite that, it seems as though the 30-year-old could still be at Vicarage Road beyond the end of the summer transfer window, even with clubs in the Championship keen on the 30-year-old.

According to this latest update, Birmingham, Middlesbrough and QPR have all expressed an interest in signing Gray, but the striker's salary is causing a problem with any potential deal.

It is thought that those Championship clubs who are interested in Gray, are reluctant to pay a significant percentage of his salary, which is said to be a sizeable one.

For his part, Gray is apparently willing to see out the remainder of his contract at Vicarage Road, due to the fact that he is aware he is unlikely to receive a wage packet as big as the one he is currently on again.

As a result, it has been suggested that Gray could remain a Watford player for the rest of this season, despite the club's desire to get him off their books.

There is currently less than a year remaining on Gray's contract with Watford, meaning he could leave the club as a free agent at the end of this season.

The Verdict

This may well be frustrating for these Championship clubs involved here.

A number of them do look as though they needed a striker, and Gray's experience at Championship level could have made him a useful option for one of them to have.

However, you can understand why they may be reluctant to pay too much for Gray after such a challenging financial period, when you consider the striker was far from prolific even in a Watford team that won promotion from the Championship last season.

Indeed, Gray's stance here could make this a long, uneventful season for him, given he looks well down the pecking order at Vicarage Road, and if that continues to be the case, it will be interesting to see if he is able to attract any interest in himself this time next summer.