Newcastle United must sell Dwight Gayle in this window to guarantee that they get a half-decent fee for the forward.
According to reports in the Chronicle, the club are unconvinced that a Championship side will be able to match the asking price set for Gayle – and the Magpies have already ruled out the idea of selling him cheaply or contributing to his wages if he leaves.
Chronicle Live allegedly understands that ‘club insiders’ do not believe that a team from the second-tier will offer Newcastle what they want this window – somewhere between £12m and £15m – and that that’s without considering the big wages he currently earns.
A new report coming out of Football Insider states that Leeds see Gayle as one of their top targets, which is, of course, good news for the Toon, however, if no side refuses to spend £12m on the forward, the club should seriously consider dropping their value slightly so a deal can be reached.
According to Spotrac’s data, Gayle is earning £40,000 per week, so not only would they bring in a fair amount of cash, but they will be cutting the wage bill too.
What should January hold for Gayle?
Permanent exit
Temporary exit
Stay at Toon
Not selling the 29-year-old in this window would simply be criminal.
Firstly, the way Steve Bruce tends to set up in a 5-4-1 does not adhere to Gayle at all due to his lack of height and strength, meaning he has played just 150 minutes this whole season.
Also, in order to maximise the amount Newcastle can get for Gayle, they need to sell him now. Firstly, he’s not getting any younger at 29. Secondly, his contract expires in the summer of 2021, so naturally, his value is dropping by the day.
The former Crystal Palace striker’s record in the Championship is hugely impressive – scoring 59 in 100 games at that level – and there are lots of teams in the league below who would bite their hand off for an accomplished scorer like him at the moment.
At the moment, Newcastle realistically have a good chance of getting at least around £10m for the forward, and that money can instantly be put towards improving their squad this January. Say he stays and picks up just another 150 minutes, he will be a player who hasn’t played for a season with just a year left on his contract, meaning his value is going to plummet, which neither the player or the club wants.