Steve Bruce says Dwight Gayle will only leave Newcastle for a “ridiculous” transfer fee

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Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has reiterated that he wants to keep Dwight Gayle at the club, The Mirror reports.

Gayle was left on the bench on Thursday night as Newcastle beat Sheffield United 2-0. This season, the diminutive striker has been limited to just four appearances for the Magpies – all of which have come off the bench.

Bruce likes to play with a lone striker, making Joelinton or Andy Carroll more suited to his style of play. But Bruce believes Gayle has a part to play for Newcastle this season and praised his goalscoring ability.

He added that Gayle, who has been linked with a move to Championship, would not leave unless Newcastle receive a “ridiculous offer”.

Bruce on Gayle

On Gayle’s future, Bruce said (via The Mirror): “He’s been knocking on my door constantly. He is in my plans. He is the most natural goalscorer at the club.

“I don’t want him to go anywhere. I’ve always liked him. I tried to buy him three times. He’s by far the best Championship striker there’s been for the last five, eight years. I saw what he did last season at West Brom because he was in the Midlands. Right foot, left foot. How many did he score? 24 goals to nearly get them promoted.

“I don’t want him to go anywhere and it would have to be a ridiculous offer and amount of money. Let’s be fair, everyone’s got their price but I don’t want Dwight to go anywhere.”

TBR’s view

Gayle needs to think about this carefully. While Bruce might want him, he needs to think about his own future at this stage of his career.

The 29-year-old will not be short of suitors in the Championship and he has a proven track record of scoring regularly in the second tier. Perhaps this is the best move for him in January.