Arsenal are eyeing a late swoop to sign Jonathan David but Tottenham and Chelsea are also keen on the Lille hitman, according to ESPN.
Mikel Arteta has been desperately trying to strengthen his squad this month as the Gunners boss looks to boost their hopes of snatching that all-important fourth spot to get Arsenal back in the Champions League next season.
A new striker is a priority as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been axed from the squad and stripped of the captaincy leaving Arteta with just Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah to choose from up front.
Arsenal spent most of the month chasing Dusan Vlahovic only to see the Serbian international join Juventus so the Londoners are now scouring the market to try and find an alternative target before the window closes on Monday night.
David is among the names that have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this month and ESPN claims that Arsenal are now eyeing a late move to try and land the Canadian international hitman.
Talks
The Metro reported earlier in the month that Arsenal technical director Edu and boss Arteta had held preliminary talks with David’s agent, Nick Mavromara, about a possible move to North London.
David has developed into one of the best young forwards in French football since joining Lille from Gent in 2020 and he’s scored 12 goals in 18 Ligue 1 starts so far this season while he also boasts an impressive return at international level with 19 goals in 25 caps for Canada.
However, the 22-year-old still has three-and-a-half years remaining on his current contract so Arsenal know a deal won’t come cheap and the Metro suggests that Lille would demand around £47m for the striker.
That would still make David considerably cheaper than Vlahovic but Arsenal could face stiff competition as ESPN says Tottenham and Chelsea are also keeping a close eye on the striker’s situation.
Spurs and Chelsea would likely rather wait until the summer but if Arsenal were to launch a late move for David this month it could spark a bidding war with London’s three biggest clubs all vying for his signature.
However, a deal at this stage is going to be extremely difficult to do as Lille have very little time left to find a replacement so David is expected to remain in France until the end of the season, which will only add to Arsenal’s frustrations.
