Lille striker Jonathan David has spoken of his determination to “fight” for his shirt at a big club amid gathering speculation that a free-transfer move to Manchester United is on the cards, though an interview the Canadian held with Gary Neville suggests a different path is on the cards.
The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the best strikers in Ligue 1 in recent years, having blasted his way to 107 goals in 224 appearances for Les Dogues since a bargain €30m move from Gent in summer 2020. However, with his deal due to expire at the end of the season and with the Canada international having made it clear he is unwilling to sign an extension, David will be eligible to make a free-transfer move this summer.
With the Premier League being seen as one of the best and most competitive leagues in world football – not to mention the most lucrative – it is easy to see why David has been strongly linked with moves to England.
Our sources have revealed West Ham have already made their move to bring David to the London Stadium, though the 61-times capped star is yet to respond to their approach.
There is interest from Tottenham too, while Liverpool and Arsenal have also been tentatively linked. However, the talk lately has suggested Manchester United are ready to step up their hunt for the player and are due to make their own approach to his representatives.
Now David has insisted that, regardless of where he ends up, he is ready to fight to prove himself worthy of playing for a big club.
“Obviously, with this summer going on, I am not sure if I am staying or going,” David told Golazo America after scoring and providing an assist for Canada in a 2-1 win over the United States on Sunday.
“But if I do end up going, I have to push myself at the very highest level.
“When you play for a big club, your position [in the team] is never guaranteed and you need to fight.
“I am never guaranteed anywhere I go to start every game and play every game, I have to perform. I am willing to fight. I know it’s an important year.
“It’s a big decision. I will make a wise decision.”
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Jonathan David hints at LaLiga transfer dream
David’s determination to succeed and prove himself at a big club is exactly the sort of attitude that will make him even more appealing for a striker, who has an impressive tally of 145 career goals in 307 games.
And with his move coming without a fee, that will be of even greater appeal to a Manchester United side who have to watch the pennies carefully this summer as they look to furnish Ruben Amorim with a squad capable of bettering this season’s disappointing Premier League form.
With a new striker very much top of their radar this summer and with United open to spending a large portion of any summer kitty on acquiring a new No.9, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has named the four strikers currently being considered for a summer move.
Whether David officially enters their thinking remains to be seen, though the striker himself has indicated a move to LaLiga may be his preference instead following a recent chat with United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville.
“To be honest, I think I can adapt to every league,” David told The Overlap.
“Obviously, every league has their differences; I think the Premier League is a lot faster and more physical than the other leagues. But, me, always when I grew up, I grew up watching a lot of LaLiga.
“That would be my preferred league, but I think that’s the league I enjoyed watching the most, so I think – one day – I would like to play there, but will that happen? I don’t know.
“I’m not opposed to anything, we’ll just see where the future takes us,” he added.
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Another of those strikers heavily linked with United this summer is Sporting CP hitman Viktor Gyokeres. And with Amorim having coached the player while in Portugal, together with the Swede’s abilities to lead the line in a 3-4-2-1 formation, he would appear to tick plenty of boxes for the Manchester United manager.
However, former United striker Louis Saha has advised the club turn down the chance to sign the former Coventry striker and instead put their focus into their focus into acquiring a more experienced 372-goal marksman instead.
Elsewhere, United look seemingly set to be given a free run at another big-name striker in Victor Osimhen in the summer.
That’s after one of the Nigerian’s major suitors cooled their interest in the Napoli man, who has a €75m (£63m) exit clause to leave this summer.
Meanwhile, United look to have an ‘ace card’ in the race to sign Southampton winger Tyler Dibling this summer, with Amorim’s secret weapon’ set to aid their quest to beat the likes of Man City and Tottenham to the transfer.
IN-FOCUS: Jonathan David’s impressive Lille stats
Jonathan David 2020-21 Games 48 Goals 13 2021-22 Games 48 Goals 19 2022-23 Games 40 Goals 26 2023-24 Games 47 Goals 26 2024-25 Games 41 Goals 23
David’s stats over the seasons for Lille