Manchester United have been presented a window of opportunity to strike a deal for Jonathan David as the Canadian striker is waiting until “mid-July” to respond to an offer from Juventus, according to a report.
David, 25, has quietly emerged as one of the most consistent goal-scorers in Europe’s top five leagues over the previous three seasons for French side LOSC Lille.
Last season, he scored an impressive 25 goals while providing a further 12 assists. The campaign before, he scored 26 times with nine assists, while the year before that he scored another 26 goals and an additional four assists.
In total, across the last three seasons, David has returned 77 goals and 25 assists in 136 games for Lille – an impressive rate of attacking returns, particularly given the Canada international is also a hard-working forward who offers as much off the ball as he does on it.
But David’s contract at the Stade Pierre Mauroy expired at end of the season as there was no agreement on a renewal. Instead, the 25-year-old is pushing for a move away from Ligue 1 with a host of major clubs across Europe expressing interest.
Barcelona emerged as an early frontrunner but it was Serie A powerhouses, Napoli and Juventus, who made the strongest advances to sign David. United were reported to be considering him as an option but have not followed up on this interest yet.
But Juventus have pulled ahead of their domestic rival in the race after launching efforts to sign David since November.
The Old Lady have presented a contract proposal butDavid has “given himself a mid-July deadline to respond to the offer,” Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sportreveals.
This gives a six-week opportunity for United to re-enter the race for the forward and table an offer he cannot refuse. The options to for a new striker are rapidly dwindling this summer with the remaining options – Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike – all set to cost in excess of 60 million.
David, by contrast, presents a proven track record of goals, at an optimal age, with excellent link-up play and work rate, on afreetransfer. INEOS cannot afford to let this unique market opportunity slip through their fingers.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
