Brentford and Fulham 'battle' for Newcastle United star amid Eddie Howe's 'money' admission

Brentford and Fulham are both said to be interested in a deal for a Premier League striker ahead of the January transfer window. It’s no secret the Bees lost Ivan Toney over the summer, with Ivor Thiago being snapped up as a replacement, but injury has already hit to keep the big-money signing sidelined.

Brentford could now be forced back into the market to add more competition up top, while Fulham are largely relying on Raul Gimenez with Carlos Vinicius currently struggling with injury, while Rodrigo Muniz is also an option.

Both London clubs may look to add a new signing up top in January, and it’s reported that Newcastle United could offload Callum Wilson. Wilson has struggled to stay ahead of Alexander Isak since the Sweden international’s arrival at St James’ Park, and he has struggled with a back injury so far this season.

There has been talk aplenty about Newcastle upgrading on Wilson, and Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran is being linked. Duran was heavily linked with Chelsea in the summer, but a move did not pan out, leading to Duran kicking on with Villa, enjoying a superb start to the season.

Come January, Villa may be far more resistant to a Duran sale, even with Profit and Sustainability issues, and much will depend on whether Villa are still in the Champions League, and indeed whether they are on course to secure another top four finish. Such performance could give them more financial freedom, given there will be potential for more prize money.

The Sun say Newcastle may be open to offloading Wilson this January, and both Brentford and Fulham are said to be interested in a deal. Reports in the summer claimed that the Magpies wanted around £15million to sanction a sale. But that may well change in the winter window given the England international is out of contract next summer, weakening Newcastle’s negotiating position.

Howe on Wilson future

Asked about Wilson’s future in the summer, Howe said: “If you lose a player of that quality, to find a player of equal standard will cost the club a lot of money.”

Speaking recently about the striker’s fitness and current situation, the Magpies boss added: “He is one hundred per cent committed to NUFC. We want two fit strikers and we want to keep him. It has been a strange one , with a lot of speculation and a lot of it unfounded. He is a huge part of what we do and we are desperate to get our two strikers fit again.

“He is nearing a return and looks good, he is getting there. There is no part of me that wants to lose him. In every conversation, he is 100 per cent committed. No part of him is looking elsewhere [at another club]. He has got big ambitions and we want to keep him here but some things are out of our control. The club is acting with the long-term interests of the club [in mind] and they have to. Let’s see what happens.”