Slaven Bilic Claims West Brom Tried to Sign Newcastle's Dwight Gayle Last Summer

​Ahead of Tuesday night's FA Cup clash between Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion, Slaven Bilic has revealed that his side attempted to sign Magpies striker Dwight Gayle during the summer. 

The Baggies' faithful will know all too well the quality that Gayle possesses, as the thirty-year-old enjoyed a brilliant season at the Hawthorns in 2018/19. 

The poacher notched 24 goals in a campaign where West Brom reached the playoffs, only to lose to eventual playoff champions and Midlands rivals Aston Villa on penalties.

Ahead of Tuesday's game, Bilic spoke to the ​​Birmingham Mail​ about how Gayle was a transfer target this summer, saying: “Not in January but in the summer we tried. Obviously we lost 12 players and it’s not good to have such a huge turnaround in a squad.

“Because he was so good and so instrumental last season, we wanted to get him back. We did everything to get him but it wasn’t to be. It was impossible. In January there were some rumours and some speculation in the papers but no, no, no, we didn’t try then.”

Newcastle are rumoured to have wanted £15m for the player but West Bromwich were unwilling to meet the asking price. 

Dwight Gayle was a real star for ​West Brom last year and when the Croatian manager arrived in the West Midlands, Bilic spoke of the impact that the 30-year-old left with staff at the club. 

“When I arrived here he had just left and it was, more or less, every other word was ‘Dwight Gayle, Dwight Gayle’ - he had such a great season and scored so many goals. It wasn’t just goals - he gave energy, he gave energy on the pitch but also at the training ground. 

“He has been injured but now he is good. He played on Saturday, he was very lively and if he plays he will be a big threat to us.”

Gayle hasn't played a major part of ​Newcastle's season but did start last weekend's draw against ​Burnley. He isn't expected to start Tuesday's game.