The queue of potential clubs looking to prise striker Neal Maupay away from Brentford seems to be growing by the week – with Newcastle United rumoured to have had a £12m bid rejected by the Bees who, allegedly, told the Magpies they’d want £18m PLUS Dwight Gayle on loan at Griffin Park for the season as well as 70% of his wages being paid by the Geordies.

Whether or not this story has legs, we will find out in the coming days, however, the young French marksman is certainly in demand, meaning IF or WHEN he does go, it is likely to be for very big bucks – Brentford are not in the mood to give one of their prize assets away, that’s for sure. We spoke about the Maupay rumours on the Pride of West London mid-Summer podcast, that you can hear by clicking the link below.

Sevilla have also been considering breaking their transfer record to take Maupay to Spain, and I’m sure La Liga football would be very tempting if the price is right, but it is going to take a package around the £20m mark which may rule them out – Premier League newbies Sheffield United are likely to baulk at that fee too, although AFC Bournemouth have a bigger war chest and may be tempted to pay what is required in a bid to ensure their top flight survival for another season.

The clickbait sites and Twitter feeds are in over drive, meaning Brentford fans will have to get used to these kind of rumours, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that Maupay will remain a Brentford player if the current level of interest persists – a bidding war looks on the cards – which is likely to see another hugely popular Bee flow off to pastures new.

Dave Lane
@beesotted100