The Burnley striker has been linked with Newcastle United among many others – although Aston Villa are conspicuous by their absence.
Aston Villa have developed quite the tendency for paying big money for Championship strikers. If only they had followed the same trend when they were one division higher.
According to the Daily Mirror, Villa’s interest had been piqued by the prolific form of Andre Gray in the early days of his life at Burnley.
The former non-league striker netted nine times in 12 games for Sean Dyche’s side following his club record move from Brentford just a few months earlier and the publication claimed that Villa were considering paying £15million for his services.
A few months later, however, they suffered the ignominy of arguably the most pitiful relegation in Premier League history before splashing out an identical sum on one Ross McCormack.
While the Scotland international repaid his huge transfer fee with just three goals and has since been shoved to Nottingham Forest on loan, Gray has developed into a bona fide Premier League striker, netting eight times in 23 games to guide Burnley to the comforting safety of mid-table.
And according to The Chronicle he is now on the radar of Newcastle United as Rafael Benitez targets strikers capable of easing the transition back into the Premier League; and the Magpies are far from the only side linked with a summer move.
After netting just 39 goals in 38 games, a tally which means they are comfortably the lowest scorers in the top half of the Championship, Steve Bruce will surely wish he could call on a striker of Gray’s pace, power and precision.
Although the striker himself will not be losing too much sleep about missing out on a move to Villa with his career going from strength to strength in the Premier League.
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