Newcastle United chief spotted in France as free agent deal eyed for 102-goal striker

Magpies recruitment chief Steve Nickson was in attendance for Lille’s 2-1 win over Nice on January 17 and had a keen eye on both Jonathan David and Hakon Arnar Haraldsson.

Canadian international David is out of contract this summer, which is set to make him one of the sought-after free agents in Europe. But as reported by NewcastleWorld earlier this month, there is some confidence that United can strike a deal.

During his four years at Lille, David has netted 102 goals in only 173 starts, which includes 18 in 31 this season. David previously broke through at Gent, where he enjoyed a similarly prolific spell, scoring 35 in just 58 starts.

It has been reported nationally that four Premier League clubs have made representations to the agent of the 25-year-old, as well as two from Serie A. But Eddie Howe’s side believe they can beat any other rival to the player’s signature.

But as per the Daily Mail, David wasn’t the only player Nickson was keeping tabs on with Icelandic international Haraldsson also grabbing the attention after scoring that evening.

The 21-year-old, who joined Lille 18 months ago from Copenhagen, has scored nine goals and eight assists in 58 appearances. Capable of operating as a midfielder or as a winger, Haraldsson has been compared to Real Madrid legend Luka Modric for his ability on the ball.

What’s Eddie Howe said on transfers?

Any potential swoop for David and Haraldsson will almost certainly wait until the summer. Howe, on many occasions this month, has played talk of Newcastle making a major signing amid pressures to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Howe said on Friday: “I don’t know how many times I’ve got to say it. You never say never, I don’t want people playing this back to me saying I lied, but at this moment we have not been active in terms of incomings.

“I’m certainly not lying. I would never intentionally lie to the supporters or anybody. We are not in a position to be active in the market as we sit here now. That might change if something happens [in terms of outgoings].”