David Moyes is reportedly eager to bring Jonathan David into his squad, with West Ham United already negotiating a January move for the Lille striker.
As reported by Spanish outlet Fichajes, David Moyes is the driving force behind West Ham United’s pursuit of Jonathan David. The Hammers have already opened talks to secure a January move for the Canadian striker, valued at €50 million by Ligue 1 champions Lille.
Jonathan David has been an excellent addition to the first-team setup at Lille. The 21-year-old joined Les Dogues from KAA Gent in August 2020 and played a leading role in their shock Ligue 1 triumph in the 2020/21 season. And while Lille’s stock has fallen dramatically this term, David has continued going from strength to strength.
The Canadian striker has 11 goals from 18 Ligue 1 appearances in the ongoing campaign, with his exploits also carrying over to the international stage. David’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including West Ham United, setting their sights on him.
The interest from West Ham is hardly surprising, considering Michail Antonio is the only striker at David Moyes’s disposal. With the 31-year-old a converted forward, the deep-running issues in signing a striker become even clearer for West Ham, with players like Jarrod Bowen and Andriy Yarmolenko being backup strikers for Moyes.
The problems have been specially compounded since Sebastien Haller’s departure earlier this year in January. Since then, the Hammers have been hard in search of a striker but have failed to secure the services of a natural centre-forward in two successive transfer windows.
Heading into the January transfer window, West Ham’s efforts to sign a striker have intensified, with Mohamed Bayo, Valentin Castellanos and Adam Hlozek heavily linked with them. And David is also a viable target for West Ham, with the east Londoners initiating discussions to sign the Lille striker this winter.
However, his €50 million price tag could be a sticking point for West Ham unless they cash in on Declan Rice. The English international is unlikely to be solid in January, with West Ham still alive in multiple competitions. So, it remains to be seen if talks progress smoothly and whether the Hammers can afford to pay €50 million to sign David from Ligue 1 champions Lille.
