Unai Emery wants Aston Villa to sign Juventus forward Jonathan David, but his wages are proving to be a massive hurdle.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is pushing the club to sign Jonathan David this summer, but the striker’s wage demands could derail the move, according to Gazzetta dello Sport via SportWitness.
David endured a difficult first season in Turin after arriving on a free transfer last summer. The Canada international scored only six goals in Serie A (8 in 46 outings in all competitions) and gradually fell out of favour under Luciano Spalletti towards the end of the season.
His disappointing season has now left his future uncertain, with Juventus focused on raising funds and creating room for further additions. The Bianconeri are targeting Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee and Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi, among others, meaning David could be one of the players sacrificed to make those moves possible.
Why Villa are keen on David’s signature?
Aston Villa have emerged as a potential destination, with Emery personally pushing the club to sign the 26-year-old. The Spanish manager is keen to strengthen his attacking options and believes David could provide greater competition in the final third.
Villa already have Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham available in attack, but Abraham’s impact has been limited since joining from Besiktas at the start of the year. The striker featured in 12 league matches, but accumulated fewer than 300 minutes and scored only twice.
David could strengthen Villa’s attack and provide significant competition to the duo, particularly given his previous success at Lille before his move to Serie A.
However, David earns around €6 million per season after tax at Juventus, and Aston Villa have already indicated that matching those terms would be difficult. That leaves David’s willingness to compromise as key; for now, he does not appear desperate to leave Turin. He remains one of their highest earners and content to stay and fight for his place while collecting his substantial salary.
If the Old Lady make it clear that David is out of their plans, he may become more motivated to find a new challenge and could lower wage expectations, easing the deal for Emery’s side. Since he was signed for free, any sort of amount raised will be recorded as a capital gain in Juventus’ books.
