According to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, an automatic one-year extension will be triggered if striker Andy Carroll makes 20 appearances for Newcastle United this term.

The 31-year-old returned to Saint James’ Park last summer, eight and a half years after leaving for Liverpool, and has since played 14 games across all competitions, assisting thrice.

While Carroll is yet to find the back of the net since making his second debut for Newcastle, he has proven to be a menace to opposition defenders with his aerial prowess, and boss Steve Bruce has been impressed with how he has fared in his role as a back-up striker thus far.

The Magpies star last scored a Premier League goal two years ago, with injuries keeping him out of action for the majority of his West Ham United career.

His fortunes haven’t particularly improved at Newcastle, but he has been an important part of the squad, providing quality experience and leadership.

Carroll once helped to mentor Joelinton during extra training sessions, attempting to show the club record-signing how to lead the line in the English top-flight.

It remains to be seen if Bruce will still be in charge once the impending takeover goes through, but the Toons boss has been contemplating about keeping Carroll going forward, and it will be interesting to see what happens after the campaign resumes and in the coming months.