Why Arsenal and Liverpool have had a major boost in Jonathan David hunt

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 22 Dec 2021 20:52 GMT
• 3 min read

Jonathan David has had an exceptional season with Lille, with the Canada international set to go into the winter break top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts.

With 11 goals to his credit, he has found the net more than Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi combined.

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David has also excelled in the Champions League, too, guiding the Ligue 1 champions through to the last 16 of the competition, in which they will face Chelsea.

Such performance has seen many of Europe’s biggest clubs take note. Arsenal, who were interested in David when he departed Gent to join Lille 18 months ago, are revisiting his case, while Liverpool have also been associated with him. The Reds, after all, will need more offensive options with Divock Origi set to depart and question marks over Mohamed Salah’s future.

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Both of these clubs have been given a major boost in their hunt for David by Nick Mavromaras, the player’s agent.

Speaking to Radio Canada, he said: “For us, the objective is to finish the season at Lille, but it will be his last season there for many reasons.”

David to Arsenal and Liverpool heats up

Mavromaras then fuelled speculation that David could move to England’s top flight.

“I think that the Premier League would be a good option for him,” he said. “I think that he likes Spain, too, because he likes the feeling towards the ball and very technical players. These are the two leagues that are the priority for him, but we won’t exclude anything. You never know with Paris Saint-Germain or the big Italian clubs.

“It’s normal that all the big clubs are interested in the top scorer in Ligue 1, but I can tell you today, there’s been no official offer.”

In terms of value, the agent was unable to give a value on a player who was signed for around €30 million.

“I can’t say was the price will be today. That’s up to Lille,” he said. “Jonathan isn’t going to say it, but he knows he’s one of the best young attackers in the world.

“There’s also Erling Haaland, who will cost today €75-100m. There have been offers of €150m.

“If you want to be part of this list, you have to learn how to manage pressure.”

Lille and Jonathan David finish up their 2021 on Wednesday with a clash against Covid-hit Bordeaux in Ligue 1.