Jonathan David is at the heart of a tussle between Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham, with all four clubs making checks on the Lille striker as part of their search for attacking reinforcements.
David, who is representing Canada at the Copa América, could be one of the bargains of the transfer window given that he has less than 12 months left on his deal and is not minded to sign an extension. Lille are expected to cash in on the forward, who is ready for a move to the Premier League, and he could be available for as little as £20m.
Chelsea, United, Tottenham and West Ham have made enquires about David, who has scored 84 goals in 183 matches since joining Lille from Gent four years ago. Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, are well aware of David’s qualities and have followed him for a long time. Winstanley was previously interested in bringing him to Brighton.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea push ahead with their interest. They have looked at several strikers and are close to completing a €6m (£5m) deal for Barcelona’s 18-year-old forward Marc Guiu. Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier is another option for Chelsea, but they are likely to be priced out of bidding for Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke. Their move for Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán has stalled.
Spurs are thought to be keen to add more variety to their attack and their recruitment team are admirers of David, whose goals helped Lille win Ligue 1 in 2021. West Ham want to freshen up their forward line – Julen Lopetegui needs alternatives to Michail Antonio and Danny Ings – and have not been ruled out of the race. It is understood that a potential stumbling block for West Ham could be David’s wage demands, which would make him their highest paid player. United’s interest is likely to depend on whether they press on with a move for the Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee. Milan have tracked David in the past.
Any bid from West Ham is more likely to come after they have bolstered their defence, with the club expected to bid again for the Wolves centre-back Maximilian Kilman. West Ham’s opening offer of £30m plus add-ons for the Wolves captain was rejected last week but they hope that they will be able to clinch a deal for him this week. Lopetegui knows Kilman from his time at Molineux.
Wolves are not under pressure to sell Kilman but they could find it difficult to turn down an offer in the region of £45m. It is understood that West Ham’s next bid will not include an offer for players to move in the opposite direction.
West Ham are also looking for a new midfielder and are tracking Watford’s Ismaël Koné, who could cost £15m. However they face heavy competition for the Canada midfielder from Marseille. Roberto De Zerbi, who is poised to become Marseille’s manager, wants to make Koné one of his first signings. The 22-year-old, who joined Watford last year, has impressed with his box-to-box play.
Ipswich are set to bolster their defensive options by signing Ben Johnson on a free transfer from West Ham. It is understood the versatile full-back has undergone a medical after agreeing to join Kieran McKenna’s side on a four-year deal. Ipswich are looking to strengthen after winning promotion to the Premier League.
Johnson, a product of West Ham’s academy, was out of contract and his departure is not a surprise. There were talks over a new deal but the expectation has been that the 24-year-old would seek a new challenge.
The former England Under-21 international has been unable to establish himself in West Ham’s starting XI. He has mostly played at right-back but is capable of operating on the opposite flank and was occasionally used in midfield in the past season.
