Fulham have this morning submitted a £15m bid for Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle, according to various sources.

Rafa Benitez is keen to move the 26 year-old forward on before the end of the summer transfer window as Gayle doesn’t feature in his Premier League plans but, although Newcastle have yet to formally reject Fulham’s bid, they are believed to be holding out for an offer around the £20m mark. The former Peterborough and Crystal Palace striker, who cost the Magpies £10m last summer, scored 23 goals in 34 appearances as United won the Championship last term.

Gayle’s proven Championship pedigree – he scored 13 goals in 29 games for Posh back in 2012/2013 – has convinced Fulham to table a substantial offer as they search for further forward options in addition to summer signings Rui Fonte and Aboubakar Kamara. Fulham were close to signing Gayle when he moved to St. James’ Park having been long-term admirers of the Walthamstow-born striker. The Londoners are planning a busy end to the transfer window as they seek to give Slavisa Jokanovic the tools to mount a serious promotion push.