Arsenal and Liverpool are among several top European clubs being linked with a summer move for Lille forward Jonathan David, who is out of contract at the end of the season
Jonathan David has downplayed speculation of an imminent move to the Premier League amid reports Arsenal and Liverpool are considering an end-of-season swoop. The Lille forward, 25, is out of contract in the summer, and after scoring more than 20 goals in each of his last three seasons, plenty of top European clubs are circling.
Links to England have been prevalent, though David has indicated that Spain could be an appealing destination. “I grew up watching a lot of La Liga,” he told Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher on the It’s Called Soccer! podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
“I wouldn’t say that would be my preferred league, but it’s a league I enjoyed watching more so [than others]. One day, I would like to play there. But will that happen? I don’t know. I’m not opposed to anything. We’ll see where the future takes us.”
Lille have offered the Canada international a two-year contract extension, and while negotiations are still ongoing, an agreement looks increasingly unlikely. As a result, they risk losing their top scorer for free in just a few months, positioning David as one of the summer’s biggest potential bargains.
Arsenal are desperate for a new centre forward, and could view David – who has admitted he bases his game on Thierry Henry – as a cost-effective alternative to targets such as Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko, all of whom are expected to cost close to, or above, the £100million mark.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are understood to be monitoring David’s situation. But whether their interest turns into anything concrete is likely to depend on outgoings, with Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez linked with summer exits.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham have also been linked with the player, though aren’t believed to be frontrunners for his signature at this stage, despite David’s agent having watched West Ham’s game with Newcastle last week at the London Stadium.
Lille have produced, or helped to develop, some of European football’s finest talents in recent years, including Eden Hazard, Victor Osimhen, Rafael Leao, Gabriel Magalhaes, Mike Maignan, Leny Yoro and Dimitri Payet.
David joined the club from Belgian outfit Gent in 2020, and quickly established himself as one of French football’s top goal-getters.
He scored 28 league goals in his first two seasons before bagging 24 – a career-high – in 2022/23. Last season, he managed 26 in all competitions, and he needs to just four more this season to surpass that total.
Lille are currently sixth in Ligue 1, but are just three points off an automatic Champions League qualification spot. Earlier this month they were dumped out of Europe by Dortmund in the round of 16, equalling their best-ever performance in the competition.
David’s goal have played a massive part in their success, with the New York-born star netting against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool and Dortmund. He’s also scored 14 times in Ligue 1 – a tally bettered only by Marseille forward Mason Greenwood and PSG’s Ousmane Dembele.
When asked if he was playing some of the best football of his career, David replied: “I think you could say that. This might be my best campaign yet. It’s been a great campaign.”
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