How Arsenal will raise €50m to sign Ligue 1 star

Tom Weber

• Updated: 15 Mar 2023 14:23 GMT
• 4 min read

Arsenal are reportedly looking to offload two exciting young talents in order to fund a €50m transfer for Lille star Jonathan David.

David has long since been linked with a move to one of the Premier League's elite clubs, and now reports suggest that Champions League-bound Arsenal are getting serious about bringing Canada's marquee forward to England.

The 23-year-old currently shares top spot in the Ligue 1 golden boot race with none other than Kilian Mbappé, having scored 19 goals and recorded four assists - one more than his PSG counterpart.

His impressive goalscoring form has earned David a €50m price tag and has seen him linked with Manchester United in recent times.

READ: More goals than Mbappe! Man Utd should sign David over Kane or Osimhen

David and his cortège already sought to leave Lille last summer, but no move materialised due to what many deemed an 'unrealistic' valuation by the French side, demanding around €70m for a player who had only scored 15 times the season prior.

At €50m, David is certainly more affordable - and he's clearly a better player now - but do Arsenal actually have the means to sign him?

Nketiah and Balogun to depart

Not if reports are to be believed, but in order to fund this potential transfer, the Premier League title hopefuls might allow talented forwards Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun to head for new pastures, according to Todo Fichajes.

Both have impressed this season, with Nketiah stepping up in the absence of Gabriel Jesus. The 23-year-old scored four times during a five-game run that stretched from Boxing Day to late January and which included a brace against Manchester United.

Balogun, meanwhile, occupies third in the French scoring charts, having hit the net 16 times out on loan at Stade Reims this season.

READ: AC Milan revive interest in Arsenal starlet Balogun

Seeing two talented youngsters depart certainly won't be an easy pill to swallow for Arsenal fans, but 19-goal man David, who admitted in 2021 that a move to Arsenal would be a dream come true, might just be worth the money.