Newcastle United's hunt for a striker must accelerate after the departure of Dwight Gayle. The Magpies striker, 32, made just nine first-team appearances and bid farewell to Tyneside on Friday by joining Stoke City.
Gayle's exit was inevitable this summer after the former Crystal Palace forward was recently made to train with the Under-23s and stayed behind during this month's pre-season jaunt to Austria.
"I’ve had a couple of conversations with Dwight. At the end of last season, we had a good conversation, and made him aware of the situation, for his own benefit, so he could take his career into its next phase," Eddie Howe admitted during the trip last week.
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Gayle's exit has been in the works for some time and those in charge of transfers at St. James' Park have planned for the departure. But ultimately Newcastle are losing a forward at a time where they are finding it tough to strengthen at that end of the pitch.
Callum Wilson ended last season with some stellar performances but his recent injury record means there is no guarantee he will be available for an entire season.
Meanwhile, Chris Wood showed his class at Burnley but has looked out of place since joining United back in January. The New Zealand international will be given a chance under Howe this season but needs to raise his game in the coming months.
Going into the new campaign with just Wilson and Wood in attack leaves Newcastle vulnerable. The club knows this and have prioritised bringing in more firepower before September.
However, the window continues to prove challenging for United after a bright start which saw three defensive additions before July had even arrived. The striker search is testing and has seen Howe and his team frustrated as key targets are missed.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ivan Toney are two players who were identified early on in the window but Everton and Brentford want a substantial fee for their services. Duvan Zapata is one avenue that has been explored with Atalanta ready to sell.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Sesko is another player identified in recent weeks - despite Red Bull Salzburg desperate to keep the 19-year-old in Austria. Howe wants two attackers in before the season opener with Nottingham Forest.
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