Barcelona and Real Madrid will reportedly face stiff competition from Chelsea and others in the race to sign Jonathan David.
According to a report by Canadian outlet TSN, Barcelona and Real Madrid are not the only bigwigs of European football interested in signing Jonathan David in the summer transfer window, with Chelsea also a part of the chase. The Blues have already submitted an enquiry for the Lille striker.
Jonathan David has been nothing short of sensational since joining LOSC Lille from KAA Gent in August 2020. After playing an integral role in Les Dogues’ Ligue 1 triumph last season, the 22-year-old has stepped his game up a notch and has been one of the few bright spots in a difficult season for the French champions.
The Canadian striker has 16 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions this term, with 12 strikes coming in Ligue 1. David’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea, setting their sights on him.
The interest from Barcelona comes in the wake of Sergio Aguero’s forced decision to hang up his boots due to a heart ailment. The Argentine legend’s premature retirement has left Xavi Hernandez with Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong as the only natural strikers at his disposal. While both the centre-forwards have shown flashes of brilliance, neither is reliable as a regular.
David is thus a viable target for Barcelona, who will need to identify alternatives to Erling Haaland amid the Borussia Dortmund striker’s rampant links with several European bigwigs. Haaland is also linked with the Blaugrana’s arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are also keeping their options open, with David on their radar.
While Karim Benzema has been in sensational form in the last few years, the fact that he is 34 years old will not be lost on Real Madrid. So it is imperative that the Spanish giants lay down a succession plan for the Frenchman, with several strikers, including David, emerging on their radar. But Real Madrid and Barcelona will need to fend off competition from Chelsea to sign the 22-year-old.
The Blues might need to enter the market for a striker for a third successive summer transfer window amid uncertainties surrounding the futures of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku. While Lukaku might end up staying put at Stamford Bridge going into the 2022/23 season, Werner could depart, leaving Chelsea in need of an attacking reinforcement.
The west Londoners have already taken the first step towards landing David, submitting an enquiry for the Canadian striker. But Barcelona and Tottenham have also made an approach for the 22-year-old, meaning the race to sign him is heating up. But David’s agent recently suggested that his client might prefer joining a Premier League club, giving Chelsea a strong chance of landing him.