Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs to have held talks with the agents of Lille striker Jonathan David and have reportedly received a boost in the race to sign him.
The 24-year-old Canadian international’s contract with Lille is set to expire at the end of the season and as things stand, it looks very unlikely he’ll sign an extension.
Non-French clubs will therefore be able to open pre-contract talks with David in January ahead of a free transfer next summer, and Arsenal and Man Utd are putting in the legwork.
According to CaughtOffside, the Premier League duo have ‘held talks’ with David’s entourage recently, although the ‘strongest interest’ in him comes from Inter Milan.
Inter are ‘desperate’ to sign a top-quality new striker like David and the club’s CEO Beppe Marotta has a history of sealing impressive free transfers.
However, the report claims that David is ‘particularly keen’ on a move to the Premier League as he weighs up where to go next.
He is considered to be one of the best strikers in France and has scored an impressive 11 goals in 14 league appearances so far this season, following a 2023/24 campaign that saw him net 19 times.
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Jonathan David wants Premier League switch – report
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that David is indeed keen on a switch to the Premier League. He believes he’s good enough to play for an elite club and his agents are working hard to seal a suitable move for him.
Newcastle have previously shown interest and held talks with David’s entourage last summer and they are expected to be in the mix for his signature.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are keen to sign a new striker who can compete with Kai Havertz for a starting spot and with Erling Haaland in the Premier League scoring charts.
David has been looked at but he isn’t considered a priority for the Gunners. As previously revealed, Newcastle star Alexander Isak is their dream target and the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko are also on their radar.
As for Man Utd, they are open to signing a new striker to compete with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Sources say they’re not expected to move for one in January unless they sell Zirkzee, which is unlikely at this stage.
But the opportunity to snap up a player of David’s quality on a free transfer has certainly caught the Red Devils’ attention, so it’ll be interesting to see how this story develops.
Arsenal round-up: Brazilian defender eyed / Zubimendi battle ignites
Meanwhile, Arsenal are reportedly set to rival Chelsea and Real Madrid for 18-year-old Palmeiras centre-back Vitor Reis. The teenager is rated very highly in Brazil and has an £84million release clause in his contract.
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal and Chelsea are big admirers of the defender and are poised to launch a move for him next summer.
“Understand that Vitor Reis is already a potential transfer target for Arsenal and Chelsea next summer,” Plettenberg posted on X. “Both clubs are closely monitoring the 18 y/o top talent from Palmeiras. Central defender with a contract valid until 2028.”
In other news, reports from Spain suggest thatArsenal are set to ‘fight’ Liverpool for the signing of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in January.
Liverpool had agreed to match his the Spanish international’s €60million (£50.1m, $66.7m) release clause in the summer, but he chose to reject the move to Anfield and stay in LaLiga.
Both Liverpool and Arsenal are willing to match Zubimendi’s €60million release clause but the report claims the chances of him leaving Real Sociedad in January ‘are slim.’
The 25-year-old rejected the chance to join Arsenal last January as he didn’t want to leave Sociedad mid-season and his stance on that remains the same.
Zubimendi’s preference is reportedly to remain in Spain and his dream is to join a club like Real Madrid. Liverpool and Arsenal haven’t given up on signing him, and could make him a very lucrative contract offer in January to try and change his mind.
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