According to Football Insider, Newcastle United target Jonathan David is attracting strong interest ahead of the January transfer window.
It is the worst-kept secret on Tyneside that Newcastle are looking to the January transfer window to improve their squad after an unpredictable start to their Premier League campaign.
The Magpies have had an inconsistent start to their ambitious challenge to qualify for European football ahead of next season and Eddie Howe will be hopeful that the second half of the season can be executed comfortably.
New sporting director Paul Mitchell will be under huge pressure to deliver on a much more confident and purposeful transfer window in January, after a disastrous effort in the summer to add quality and depth to the squad.
The short-sighted battle to secure the signature of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi left Newcastle scrambling in the final days of the summer transfer window, and were unable to make meaningful and impactful signings to bolster the first team.
Indeed, the view to acquire a centre-back to succeed Fabian Schar will still be a top priority for Mitchell when the transfer market reopens again in a few weeks, however, the club are now also keen to address a growing concern in the attacking threat.
The right winger role has been the topic of conversation over the last 18 months, with both Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy unable to match the quality of their counterparts in Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, so finding some way to balance the quality across the front three will be crucial.
It has been widely reported that Newcastle intend to strengthen the right winger role in January with Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo named as the club’s top target in recent weeks.
However, another hot prospect has presented itself in the form of LOSC Lille star Jonathan David, who the French club are reported to be willing to offload for the right price in January, a player that Newcastle have been linked to on numerous occasions.
Now Football Insider are reporting that the signing of David could be more complicated than first realised as the player is keen to stay in France, despite attracting interest from a plethora of clubs across Europe.
The publication states that David has been scouted by Newcastle, with representatives going over to watch him play for Lille this season, but the Tyneside giants face tough competition.
It is claimed that clubs from both the Serie A and La Liga are also keen on capturing the red hot forward’s services in the winter market, which will make it even more difficult for Newcastle to get a clear cut chance to bring him to the North East.
Should Newcastle sign Jonathan David?
There is no doubt that the Canadian centre-forward would be an ideal successor for Callum Wilson, but is it worth the reported €80m (£66m) transfer fee that Lille are suspected to demand?
The 24-year-old Canadian – once dubbed a “phenom” – has scored 97 goals and registered 20 assists over 204 appearances for Lille, with a goal contribution every 131 minutes which is an output that would be warmly welcomed at St James’ Park.
While David would provide endless goal-scoring opportunities for the Magpies, considering the competition and huge price tag set for January it presents a very hard challenge to come out on top.
Not only that, the investment needed in the defensive set up is also a notable consideration going into the new year and spreading the limited wealth that Newcastle will have disposable will be difficult, unless they can offload some players who are surplus to requirements.
With that being said, this interest in Lille’s outstanding striker will definitely one to watch for Newcastle fans and whether the club feel they are in the position to make such impressive statements over the January transfer window.