Aston Villa and West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Jonathan David, who is valued at €50 million by LOSC Lille.
According to French publication But! Football Club, Aston Villa and West Ham United have entered the race to secure the signing of LOSC Lille’s Canadian forward Jonathan David in the summer transfer window.
David came through the ranks at Ottawa SC in his homeland of Canada before moving to Europe in 2018 when he signed for Belgian outfit KAA Gent. After spending over two productive years with the club, during which he scored 37 goals in 83 games, the 22-year-old joined Lille in the summer of 2020.
David has settled in well with the Ligue 1 giants and played a role in their surprise Ligue 1 title triumph last season. He has had a decent campaign in 2021/22 so far, bagging 17 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions. However, he is going through a goal drought, having scored just once since the turn of the year.
Despite that, David continues to attract interest from clubs across Europe. Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal have shown interest in the past, while there have been links to the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan. And joining the list of admirers for David are Aston Villa and West Ham United.
Aston Villa have already made their first signing ahead of the summer window, converting Coutinho’s loan deal into a permanent one. However, Steven Gerrard is eyeing further reinforcements as he looks to build a team capable of challenging for the European spots. A new striker could be needed in the summer, with Danny Ings not firing on all cylinders and Ollie Watkins linked with an exit.
David, to that end, has emerged as a possible target for Aston Villa, but they will likely face competition from West Ham United in pursuit of the Canadian international. West Ham United are in desperate need of a new striker as they need a player to compete with Michail Antonio for the No. 9 spot.
Interestingly, Aston Villa’s Watkins is a player that has been linked with West Ham. But, David Moyes’ side are keeping their options open, with David also emerging as a target for the side. However, Lille are demanding a massive sum of €50 million for David, despite his poor run of form, in the hope of staving off the interest. Whether Villa or West Ham are willing to meet those demands in the summer remains to be seen.