Kieron Dyer is urging Newcastle to drop their £5 million asking price so he can join West Ham United.

The Guardian says the midfielder wants to leave St James' Park to be closer to his family in Ipswich and West Ham remain frontrunners for his signature.

West Ham are understood to have offered close to £5m and he is now keen to leave the north-east after eight years and 251 matches for Newcastle.

There have been suggestions that Mike Ashley, Newcastle's new owner, is not overly keen to sell him to Upton Park; ultimately, selling him may involve Newcastle reluctantly accepting a transfer fee based on appearance-related instalments and breathing a sigh of relief at the chance to redirect the cost of his wages.