Lille sensation Jonathan David is currently in the midst of his final season at the club, his agent has confirmed.
The New York-born Canada international has been a revelation for Les Dogues since trading Gent for the Stade Pierre-Mauroy last year, helping the club win their fourth top-flight title in 2020/21, while also leading the current Ligue 1 Golden Boot charge as the only player to net double digits this season (11 goals scored).
His form is such that only four players have scored more than his 24-goal haul in Ligue 1 since his arrival to the division in the summer of 2020: Kylian Mbappe (36), Wissam Ben Yedder (29), Ludovic Ajorque (25) and Gaetan Laborde (25).
Still only 21, David’s international record of 18 goals in just 24 caps has been another eye-opening stat that has caught the attention of several high-profile European clubs, not least a handful in the Premier League, a division name-dropped by the player’s agent.
His representative, Nick Mavromaras, thinks the English top flight is “a good option” for his client, with the likes of Arsenal, who face uncertainties in their attack following disciplinary issues with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and West Ham thought to be monitoring the situation.
Mavromaras told Radio Canada: “For us, the goal is to finish the season in Lille, but it will be his last season there for several reasons. I think the Premier League is a good option for him.
“I think that he likes Spain a lot also because he likes the feeling of the ball and the very technical players. These two leagues are a big priority for him, but nothing is excluded.”
Although Mavromaras didn’t want to state an exact price that he felt David would be worth to potential buyers, he did use Erling Haaland’s purported price tag of around “€75m to €100m” as a ballpark figure of where he values his client.
He continued: “I can’t say the price today. It’s down to Lille. But in the end, that’s football. Jonathan isn’t going to show it, but he knows he is one of the best young forwards in the world.
“There’s also Erling Haaland who could cost between €75m and €100m… If you want to be part of that list, you have to learn to manage the pressure.”