According to The Mirror (16/08, p66), Newcastle United are plotting a part-exchange deal to land Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson.
It’s claimed that Steve Bruce wants to bring in Wilson as Newcastle’s new first-choice striker, but he is having to get creative.
Newcastle’s failed takeover means that Bruce won’t have huge riches to spend, so the Magpies want to offer a couple of players to Bournemouth.
The report notes that Newcastle are planning to offer Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle to the Cherries in a package deal for Wilson.
Newcastle value the pair at £8.5million each, and would add in some cash to take the total value of the offer to more than £20million.
If Newcastle land another striker, then Gayle will surely be on the move, and including him in a move for Wilson does make some sense.
That would give Bournemouth a ready-made replacement for Wilson, with Gayle a proven goalscorer down in the Championship.
Meanwhile, Ritchie starred in three years at Bournemouth, and may well fancy a return to the South Coast; after all, he was born in Gosport in Hampshire, meaning he would be much closer to home as he enters his 30’s.
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