According to the Daily Star, Stoke City are entertaining entering a bid for £20m-rated striker Dwight Gayle.
London-born Gayle is currently on the books of Premier League side Newcastle United, but his football development has, over the last few seasons, mainly blossomed in the Sky Bet Championship.
Since signing for Newcastle United from Crystal Palace, Gayle has featured in 71 games for the Toon, scoring 29 goals and adding eight assists. In his only Premier League campaign for the Magpies (2017/18), the 29-year-old striker played 35 games and scored six goals.
However, it is in England’s second-tier competition that Gayle is by far more prolific. Featuring for Newcastle (2016/17), he scored 23 goals in just 32 appearances in a season which saw the Tyneside club promoted.
Last season he was loaned out to relegated West Brom, Salamon Rondon going the opposite way. He more than proved his worth for the Baggies, hitting 24 goals in 40 games for the Midlands-based outfit.
It is that prolific nature that the Daily Star report has interested Stoke Cit who they say “are weighing up a bid” to entice the striker on a permanent deal to the Potteries. However, they dampen the ardour that many Stoke fans might have at this news by sayign that Gayle hasn’t thrown in the towel on his career at St James’ Park.
They report that the goal-hungry frontman still believes that he can cut the mustard in the Premier League for Newcastle, and hint that this could be something that he pushes to do when the Toon return to pre-season training early in July.
The size of the bid is not yet known, although with Gayle being valued in the £20m bracket, you get a sense that he’ll be coming closer to that price rather than further away from it.
