Newcastle 'prepare £20m bid' for Championship striker who just matched Alan Shearer record

Newcastle's newfound wealth has seen them linked with some of the world's most talented footballers but as they bid to stay in the Premier League they may first focus on more realistic deals with some of the Championship's biggest stars more likely options. And record-breaking Blackburn striker Ben Brereton-Diaz has been linked with a move to the north east.

Callum Wilson is out with a calf injury, and with no return date yet set in stone, the news has worried Eddie Howe and Magpies chiefs.

The St James' Park outfit are facing a tough time with their recruitment this month despite their huge increase in riches over the past three months.

Players such as Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala have been linked with a move to Tyneside as have a host of other star names.

The former Nottingham Forest striker has set the Championship alight this season, scoring 20 league goals even before the turn of the calendar year.

His goalscoring spree so far this season is now a joint-club record only matched by Newcastle icon Alan Shearer, who scored 20 goals at this point of the season in Blackburn's 1994-95 Premier League title-winning campaign.

And as a result, Blackburn will be reluctant to lose Brereton-Diaz, but are said to be braced for offers from the Magpies.

Chile chiefs were notified of his eligibility via the popular game Football Manager, where a social media campaign blossomed to earn him his first call up.

As well as his Blackburn form, Brereton-Diaz now has three goals in nine appearances for La Roja after making his debut against Argentina on June 14.

Newcastle meanwhile remain 19th in the league after failing to win any of their last four games and will be in need of goals in Wilson's absence.