Newcastle identify the striker as an alternative to Alexander Isak - with Liverpool and Man Utd among the other English clubs monitoring him
Newcastle have joined Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham, Chelsea and Liverpool in expressing their interest in Lille goal machine Jonathan David.
The i Paper understands all six have made contact with the player’s representatives and will compete with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus for the soon-to-be free agent’s signature.
Canada international David has taken his already prolific goalscoring exploits to greater heights this season, sitting third in the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with 14 and on nine Champions League goals.
David will not be extending his five-year stay at Lille beyond this season, with sources feeling he has gone far enough in France.
That has sparked a transfer scramble that could drag on until the summer. While six Premier League clubs have made contact, it is understood none are at an advanced stage in their discussions, with no offers on the table as yet.
Despite making enquiries, it is unlikely David will move to Manchester United, with the versatile forward not the kind of profile Ruben Amorim is seeking. The same can be said for Liverpool, with their preferred pick a more out-and-out number nine – Alexander Isak is thought to be their top target to fulfil that need.
Newcastle are confident Isak will stay, especially if they can sneak into the Champions League qualification places for next season. They are, however, well short of alternatives across their forward line and have identified several strike targets ahead of next season, with David now very much in their thinking.
The player’s camp are understood to have been impressed by what Graham Potter is planning for West Ham, but London rivals Chelsea are less appealing, given the number of forwards already on the books.
Tottenham were keen to bring David in during the January transfer window but the 25-year-old opted to see out his contract in France before then moving on in the summer. Depending on what regime is in charge by then, Spurs are set to revisit a move in the coming weeks.
While it is always assumed Europe’s best talent will automatically pick the Premier League over other destinations, David has in fact hinted he could favour a move to Spain, should the right offer come in for him.
Probed by Gary Neville in a recent Overlap episode of It’s Called Soccer! as to where he would prefer to move next, David surprised the former United full-back and Jamie Carragher with his answer.
“Obviously, every league has their differences; I think the Premier League is a lot faster and more physical than the other leagues,” David said. “But, me, always when I grew up, I grew up watching a lot of La Liga.
“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.”
Barcelona are one of the European clubs to make contact with David’s representatives, with Atletico Madrid another frontrunner. Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus are not far behind in the race.