Dwight Gayle has been told to report back to Newcastle United training on July 4th, but is understood to be pondering his future at the club, according to the Chronicle.
The 28-year-old striker is believed to be a £20 million target for Stoke City this summer, as reported by yesterday’s print edition of The Sun (p.50), cited by the Stoke Sentinel.
But the Chronicle suggest that Gayle is yet to decide on where his future lies, with uncertainty still remaining over whether or not Toon boss Rafa Benitez will sign a new deal on Tyneside.
OPINION
The best course of action for both Dwight Gayle and Newcastle United is to let the player leave Tyneside this summer. Based on the fact that the Magpies saw fit to bring in Salomon Rondon this time last year, it is fairly obvious that he doesn’t have a sustainable future at the club, and if United can pick up £20 million for a player who wouldn’t even start most weeks, they should bite Stoke’s hand off for it. That kind of money would allow them to reinvest in a proper replacement with enough quality to be a real success in the Premier League. Once again, however, we are seeing the damage that Rafa Benitez’s contract uncertainty is doing to the club. If United had gotten things sorted by now, as they should have, then Gayle could decide for certain on where his future lies and go from there. As it is, confusion reigns, and who’s to say that Gayle won’t be the only player affected?
