Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Barcelona 'cool interest' in 101-goal striker amid concerns over his 'style of play'

sportsmole.co.uk, 11 December 2024, 12:58
Barcelona have reportedly cooled their interest in Lille forward Jonathan David, with the Catalan outfit having reservations over whether the Canadian would fit into their style of play.

David, 24, is out of contract at Lille next summer, and he is unlikely to pen a new deal with his French outfit, with the striker set to become one of the most high-profile free agents on the market in the middle of 2025.

The Canada international has scored 101 goals and registered 21 assists in 206 appearances for his current side, including 17 goals and three assists in 23 outings in all competitions during the 2024-25 campaign.

David has faced Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this season, scoring three times in the process, and he is allegedly being tracked by a number of major clubs.

Manchester United are said to be among those interested, in addition to the likes of Liverpool, Juventus, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, but Barcelona had long thought to have been at the head of the queue.

Barcelona 'have reservations' over David's style of play

According to Fichajes, Barcelona are not currently pushing for the Canadian, as they have concerns over whether he would suit their style of football.

The Catalan outfit are said to believe that David's best work comes in large areas, but he could find it difficult to adapt to playing for a side where space will be limited against compact defences.

David is believed to favour a move to Barcelona over any other club, but the striker will not wait 'indefinitely' for the La Liga leaders to make up their mind over a potential long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

Sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick allegedly both share the concerns surrounding David, and Barcelona are therefore currently 'far away' from the forward despite the recent speculation.

David deal 'could cost in the region of £66m'

David's contract situation means that he is likely to be available on a free transfer next summer, but there will still be various costs to take into consideration when it comes to the deal.

It is understood that the overall package for the striker, including his salary over five years, in addition to a signing bonus and agents fees, would be in the region of €80m (£66m).

Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres and Manchester City's Erling Haaland are believed to be among the dream targets for Barcelona, but deals for either would be very difficult due to the numbers involved.

Barcelona could therefore be made to regret missing out on David, who has proven himself in the Champions league this season, while he has an excellent record of 82 goals and 12 assists in 160 matches in the top flight of French football.

Written by

Matt Law

Top News

23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United transfer target Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to reports. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen his struggling squad. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final Premier League gameweek before Christmas appropriately served up some crackers, including a festive feast of goals in North London, where Liverpool ran riot in an exhilarating 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window.