Our View: Rival planning deadline-day move that could affect Leeds United’s promotion quest

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Nottingham Forest reportedly want Newcastle United’s Dwight Gayle.

According to The Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest will make an offer for Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle on January transfer deadline day.

It has been reported that Forest will make an offer to sign Gayle on loan from Premier League outfit Newcastle for the rest of the season with an obligation to make the deal permanent for £15 million in the summer of 2020.

The 30-year-old striker is injured at the moment, but he is expected to return to action next month, according to the report.

Affecting Leeds United

Gayle is a proven goalscorer in the Championship, and if he joins Forest, then it will enhance their chances of finishing in the top two.

According to WhoScored, the 30-year-old scored scored 24 goals in the Championship during his loan spell at West Bromwich Albion last season, while in 2016-17, he scored 23 goals in the division for Newcastle.

With Forest just four points behind leaders Leeds in third place in the table, the Reds are very much in contention for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

A player of Gayle’s quality and calibre at the Championship level will give them an edge over Leeds, whose main striker Patrick Bamford can go through a barren spell.

Bamford has scored 12 goals in the league so far this season, while he scored nine goals in the league during an injury-hit 2018-19 campaign, according to WhoScored.

True, Leeds have signed Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan, but the 22-year-old could take a while to hit the ground running at Elland Road and is only going to be a back-up option.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side only just returned to winning ways after a spell of four games without a victory, and then they had to come from behind to do so.

Forest are doing extremely well at the moment, and if they add a player Gayle’s goalscoring prowess to their team, then they will be a real competitor for Leeds in their quest to clinch automatic promotion to the Premier League.