Newcastle United could consider allowing Dwight Gayle to leave St James’ Park in the January transfer window, with the striker entering the final six months of his current deal.
Gayle is nearing a return to fitness, having missed the start of the season through a knee injury sustained in pre-season which required surgery. The Magpies could be set for him to return at an ideal time, with Callum Wilson having also been out with a hamstring problem in recent weeks.
According to Football Insider, the Magpies are considering offering the 30-year-old a new deal to avoid losing him for free in the summer, with his current £40,000-a-week deal concluding at the end of the season, meaning he could potentially sign a pre-contract agreement with a European club in January.
However, it has now emerged that the Magpies could potentially look to raise funds to strengthen key areas of the squad, with left-back and midfield additions the priority. Newcastle, who have valued Gayle at around £10m to £15m in the past, could sanction a sale for as little as £5m if a Championship club were to make a move, per Chronicle Live.
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Newcastle need some added firepower, with the Magpies’ reliance on Wilson in the final third outlined by them failing to score without him against Chelsea. Gayle could well be the player to plug that gap for the time being and he has been labelled ‘invaluable’ by Bruce in the past.
However, too often his finishing has let him down at Premier League level, with him missing five big chances last term (Sofascore).
Considering he could be set to leave on a free if they do not agree a new deal with him, it might well be worth selling him even for as little as £5m in January. At that price, you would imagine he would be a very tempting purchase for clubs at the top end of the Championship needing a boost to their promotion ambitions.
Were Newcastle to reinvest that money wisely, then it would not be the worst idea to cash in. However, it would mean the Magpies would need to invest in another striker to take some of the scoring burden away from Wilson and provide cover in the event of injury.
