Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United are readying a January swoop for Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle, according to Football Insider.
The outlet claims that the Whites are considering their attacking options in the New Year amid fears Arsenal may recall Whites loan star Eddie Nketiah.
Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster is another player Marcelo Bielsa’s side are taking a look at, but Gayle’s proven track record in the second tier may give him the edge.
However, there is no guarantee that Steve Bruce will sanction the exit of the 29-year-old, who is on a reported £40,000-per-week at St James’ Park [Source: Spotrac].
OPINION
You can see why Gayle is a target for Championship teams, because he has barely featured since returning to fitness for Newcastle. He has made just four substitute appearances this season for the sum total of 43 minutes of game time [Source: Transfermarkt]. So clearly he is not first choice at St James’ Park, so teams are right to take a little look at him and see if he’s up for grabs in January. The big decision Bruce will have, then, is whether to sanction the veteran striker’s exit or not come the New Year. With his team struggling for goals right now, though, particularly in attack, why would Bruce get rid of a man who is a proven marksman? Joelinton hasn’t shown himself capable of finding the back of the net with any regularity, while Andy Carroll cannot stay fit and Yoshinori Muto isn’t fancied by the boss. So getting rid of Gayle next month would only make sense if Bruce had somebody lined up to replace him. Otherwise it would be absolute madness.
