West Bromwich Albion have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle after the Premier League club have reportedly informed them they don’t want to send the player out on loan this season.

Gayle was brilliant on loan at the Hawthorns in the 2018/19 campaign, scoring 24 goals and providing eight assists.

According to the Express and Star, Newcastle are unwilling to send Gayle out on loan again this season and are only interested in a permanent move.

The report suggests that the Baggies are open to a loan deal with an option to buy in case they achieve promotion but cannot afford a multiple-year deal on Gayle’s £65,000 per week wages and a potentially hefty signing-on fee.

West Brom are believed to not want to wait to see if Newcastle change their minds in the final hours of the window and are now pursuing other targets.

The Baggies look set to be without both Gayle and their other top-scorer from last season Jay Rodriguez, who joined Burnley this summer.

They have added one forward so far in this transfer window, signing Kenneth Zohore from Cardiff City.

[ad_pod ]

The Verdict

Gayle is a proven Championship goalscorer, having scored 59 goals in the league, and was excellent for the Baggies last season, so failing to bring him back this season will be a real blow.

With both Rodriguez and Gayle leaving and only Zohore coming in, it is paramount that Slaven Bilic adds another forward to his squad before the transfer window closes.

West Brom have made some shrewd signings this summer and started their season with a win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday–if they can add a quality striker before 5 pm on Thursday they should be well set for a promotion push this season.