Manchester United are after a new striker this summer, and Lille front-man Jonathan David probably can’t be ruled out as being one of the names under their consideration.
That’s according to French football expert Jonathan Johnson in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, with the reporter explaining that one issue for big names like Man Utd and Bayern Munich might be David’s lack of consistency.
While there’s no doubt the Canada international is a superb talent on his day, and has the potential to improve as he gets older and gains more experience, it seems for now that his lack of consistency could be what costs him a move, while his asking price may also have fallen to around €50million.
United need a new striker after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and with Wout Weghorst only at Old Trafford on loan, but it remains to be seen if David will be the player they go for.
Still, Johnson does expect the Lille forward to leave his current club at the end of this season.
“Jonathan David is somebody who I expect to be on the move this summer, and it’s a bit of a surprise that he hasn’t already moved on. I know that that was certainly the intention of the club, the player and his entourage last summer, when he was linked with some big clubs, but it never materialised,” Johnson said.
“I think it’s fair to say that the price tag for David may have been a little unrealistic last summer, we were talking upwards of maybe €70m for a player who went through quite a lengthy goal drought during last season.
“He’s got back to a good level of consistency this season, and there’s a lot of interest in him now from clubs in Germany. I think clubs will also be aware now that his price tag will most likely have been slashed to something below €50m.
“His agent has spoken about playing in England and Spain in the past, but I think he’d also be open to someone like RB Leipzig, who have Max Eberl, who was a big fan of the player when he was at Borussia Monchengladbach. There would obviously be a place for him at Leipzig, so I think that’s one to watch and I definitely think Jonathan David will be one to watch in terms of a move this summer.
“I think the major question with regards to Manchester United and Jonathan David would be regarding that consistency.
“We’re seeing them linked with the likes of Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, and I don’t think we can completely exclude him from that discussion as well, but I think clubs like United, and Bayern Munich who have also been linked in the past, will be looking for that consistency from him after his form tailed off a bit last season.
“Still, I think there will be interesting options available to him this summer.”