After all the speculation Jonathan David himself has made something perfectly clear amid links to West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham have made no secret of their desire to sign Lille striker Jonathan David this summer.
But Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal joined the race for David at the weekend.
And it has raised the stakes for arguably the most coveted free agent of the summer transfer window.
West Ham manager Graham Potter has been quietly confident of beating David’s boyhood club Barcelona to his signature.
He was proved right too with Barca pulling out of the race for the Canada forward.
The Gunners and Spurs were said to be in ‘active and concrete’ talks with David’s representatives over a move to north London this week.
That has not seen West Ham give up hope, though.
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
In fact reports have claimed the Hammers have since made it clear to David they want to build Potter’s new-look team around him.
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The 25-year-old raised his profile even further by scoring his 177th goal for club and country by netting in Canada’s win over the USA.
Given his availability on a free, it always looked a long shot for West Ham to sign David.
But missing out to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur would undoubtedly sting.
Now David himself has spoken out to deliver West Ham and Spurs a final demand.
West Ham will not have European football to offer David.
But the big hope for the Hammers was that offering David the position as the club’s guaranteed starting striker might give them the edge over the elite, where the forward would have to fight for his place.
David speaks out to deliver West Ham and Spurs final demand
Now David has addressed his future after helping his country beat the US.
And his comments all but end one club’s hopes while tantalisingly dangling a carrot to the other.
Unfortunately it looks like being bad – albeit not unexpected – news for West Ham.
Although it will only be good for Spurs on one condition.
Because David says when he does leave he ‘has to play at the highest level’.
Worse still for West Ham, he is also more than willing to fight for his place at a top club.
By saying ‘highest level’ David is clearly referring to a club in the upper reaches of whichever league he joins and, of course, the Champions League.
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
West Ham hopes dead but David dangles carrot to Spurs
So his final demand is only good for Tottenham if they can win the Europa League and thereby qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
“If I do end up going I think I have to push myself at the very highest level,” David told CBS.
“When you play for a big club your position is never guaranteed and you have to fight…
“I’m never guaranteed anywhere I go to start every game. I have to perform.
“I’m willing to fight. I know it’s an important year, it’s a big decision, so I’ll make a wise decision.”
It will still be a big ask for Tottenham to win the Champions League and lure David.
Especially with the likes of Arsenal and a host of other clubs at that level reportedly interested.
This might not actually be the worst news for West Ham, though.
It always seemed like pie-in-the-sky stuff for the Hammers given they have no European football.
The last thing the club needed was another long-running striker saga which ends in disappointment.
At least now the death knell has been tolled on West Ham’s David pipedream.
It means Potter and Kyle Macaulay can now focus on signing someone else.