‘Before pre-season’ - 109-goal striker mirrors Eddie Howe’s transfer demand at Newcastle United
Newcastle United were watching Jonathan David but noises around a possible move have simmered.
Lille striker Jonathan David wants clarity on his future before pre-season but noises about a possible Newcastle United transfer have gone quiet.
NewcastleWorld reported in January that the Magpies were keeping tabs on the Canadian international. Regarded as one of Europe’s top strikers, David netted 25 goals across all competitions last season and is out of contract this month.
He has bagged 109 goals for Lille since moving from Gent five years ago. Signing David on a free transfer would let Toon chiefs free up funds elsewhere - namely at right-wing and central defence.
However, speculation about a possible St James’ Park switch has gone quiet in recent months. Alexander Isak is the undisputed first-choice striker on Tyneside and David would prefer a clearer path to first-team football.
Jonathan David name-checks Napoli
Speaking to The Athletic, the 25-year-old name-checked Juventus and Napoli as a possible destination. Serie A rivals Juventus are also rumoured to be vying for David’s signature.
“I want a club with ambition that wants to do something,” he said. “Obviously, I would love to fight for titles, to win titles. A team that’s competitive, that has ambition, really, with a good sporting project.
“(Napoli) is a club that just won Serie A. And I’m guessing they don’t just want to win Serie A one year and say, ‘Ok, we won, that’s it’. Obviously, it’s a club that’s ambitious, that’s going to play in the Champions League.
“I think anywhere you go, there’s always pressure to perform every week, there is the pressure to keep your spot, pressure from the supporters, because obviously you have to win every game. There is always pressure anywhere you go.”
Jonathan David targets pre-season move
Finding a club before clubs return to pre-season in early July. He added: “I obviously want to get something done before pre-season starts so I can get settled and have that pre-season time with my team. But apart from that, anything can happen, you never know what can happen. You just have to be prepared for anything.”
Eddie Howe also wants early Newcastle United business
Eddie Howe told reporters following the final-day defeat to Everton that he wants to strike early in the transfer market. He said: “Speed is key for us and I have reiterated that many times internally. Speed is key because we have to be dynamic, we have to be ready to conclude things very quickly because good players don’t hang around for long.
“That’s always been my thought and my message on recruitment, because you can have a period when you think you have time - but then you look around quickly and you see that time has elapsed and you missed opportunities you won’t get again.
“That’s what we will be trying, but the reality of that is it’s not always in your hands - but we will do our best to do things early. The power of the Champions League is huge. It’s a selling point for us now, it’s an opportunity to sell that dream to future players that might be considering coming to us."