Report claims Newcastle are unsure about Salomon Rondon’s £16m price tag but Dwight Gayle could be used as a makeweight

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Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon has been a key part of the team’s success this season, scoring nine times in the league.

The Venezuela international plays with passion, pride and his physicality causes all sorts of problems for the opposition.

Benitez will surely be keen to snap Rondon up on a permanent deal in the summer but Mike Ashley might put a stop to that.

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are reluctant to spend £16m on Rondon as the striker turns 30 next season.

West Bromwich Albion are unlikely to lower their asking price for the powerful centre-forward, which puts Newcastle in a dilemma.

But last summer, they negotiated a loan move for Rondon by sending Dwight Gayle to the Hawthorns on loan in return.

And perhaps a permanent swap deal could be negotiated with Gayle acting as a makeweight.

Newcastle would still have to cough up some money for Rondon but Gayle would shed a few millions off his £16m price tag.

Diminutive forward Gayle has been in excellent form for the Baggies this season when fit. In 32 games, the 28-year-old has scored 17 goals to fire West Brom into promotion contention.

This includes nine goals in 16 starts and Gayle has formed a strong partnership with Jay Rodriguez up front.

Newcastle could try to offer Gayle as a part-exchange to help them sign Rondon for a reduced price this summer.