Man Utd get boost in Jonathan David transfer hunt

Robin Bairner

• 26 Oct 2022 08:03 BST
• 4 min read

Long-time Manchester United target Jonathan David has admitted that he is interested in leaving Lille in January to sign for the Premier League side.

Canada international David has been in excellent form for the Ligue 1 club this season, netting nine goals in the league, putting him one behind leading marksman Kylian Mbappe and level with Neymar in the top scorer chart.

Having signed for Lille from Gent in 2018 for €33 million, snatching him from Arsenal in the process, FootballTransfers now values the 22-year-old striker at €55m.

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And before travelling to World Cup 2022 with his national team, David has admitted that he is seeking to make a step up in his career.

“I was always watching European football on TV. So, for me that was always the goal. For me it was, I only wanted to go to Europe,” he told Sky Sports News.

"The next step is always growing, having more ambition, a bigger club I think. Every player wants to play for a massive club in their life. So I think if I had the chance to do it, I'll go for it for sure.

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"I think they're two different leagues [the Premier League and La Liga]. But I think I can adapt to both for sure. And I think with the experience that I've had here in France, it will help me a lot if I need to adapt to some place else a lot faster. So yeah I think both leagues suit me."

What this means for Man Utd

David has long been associated with the Premier League’s top clubs and Man Utd would likely face competition for him from other teams. Arsenal, for example, have also had a long-standing interest, while any club interested in adding a goal scorer to their ranks will doubtless be studying the prospect of signing him, too. Chelsea and Liverpool have both been linked previously.

Man Utd’s need for a centre forward, though, is arguably greatest because of the Cristiano Ronaldo situation at the club.

It is a situation that they are no doubt monitoring, although the club have suggested they will have a quiet January transfer window.

“We ended the summer slightly ahead of where we expected to be in terms of the number of players brought in, so we don’t anticipate the same level of activity in future windows, although we will continue to strengthen,” football director John Murtough said last week.

January moves are not ruled out, though, and with Jonathan David confident, in-form and occupying a position where there is a need for reinforcement, Man Utd would be foolish to overlook this chance.