Nottingham Forest and West Brom are ready to do battle to sign Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle during the January transfer window, according to The Telegraph.
Forest are long-term admirers of Gayle and could now swoop with the player not in the long-term thinking of new Magpies boss Eddie Howe.
The 32-year-old has played just 20 minutes of Premier League football this season and has also made one Carabao Cup appearance.
He looks resigned to the fact that his St James’ Park career is over and the Championship pair are ready to pounce.
Newcastle are willing to loan out Gayle when the window reopens, although they will demand an obligation to buy during the summer.
Gayle earns £40,000-a-week at Newcastle and despite their newfound wealth, they’ll want to get the excess off the books.
Three years ago, the experienced performer helped West Brom reach the play-offs, scoring 24 goals in the Championship.
That earned him a shot back at Newcastle, although he failed to play much football under former boss Steve Bruce.
Steve Cooper hopes to sign a striker during January, with Lewis Grabban and Lyle Taylor his current options.
Intriguing: Gayle doesn’t fit Forest ethos under Cooper
It would be hard to imagine Forest completing this deal.
Cooper is renowned for working with talented young players and Gayle is at the other end of his career.
Still, he is an experienced performer at Championship level and he does know how to score goals in the division.
Gayle hasn’t played football for a while and that in itself would represent a small risk for Forest.
At 32, he is perhaps at the wrong end of his career now and to some, it won’t be a particularly eye-catching signing.
Cooper has earned the trust of the fan base with one defeat in 13 matches since arriving.
As a result, if he wants Gayle fans should back it but this does seem like his agent trying to let clubs know that he will be available in January.
For Gayle, moving to Forest might just be a ship that’s sailed.