Arsenal are reportedly leading the race to sign soon-to-be out-of-contract Lille striker Jonathan David, as his salary demands come to light.
With Mikel Arteta’s side now staring a fifth-straight season without silverware dead in the face, questions have turned to if they will sign a new number nine this summer.
Arsenal have been on the lookout for a new forward for quite some time, with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak all linked with an Emirates Stadium move.
One man who has been a bit more under the radar is 25-year-old attacker David, who is set to become a free agent in the coming weeks.
According to InterLive, the Gunners are the ‘hottest club’ in the chase for the Canada international, who has also been credited with interest from West Ham, Chelsea, and Newcastle.
The report adds that Napoli are prepared to offer him a salary of €4 million (£3.4m) but his wage demands are around the €5.5m (£4.6m) mark.
While no club has put forward that kind of offer for the ex-Gent ace, teams such as Inter Milan, Juventus, and more, are still keeping tabs on David – who has scored 146 goals in his career to date.
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David salary demands won’t be a trouble for Arsenal
While David’s reported salary demands are sizeable, they are well within the confines of what Arsenal pay their top earners.
For instance, reports suggest that the likes of Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, and Bukayo Saka are on more than double what David is asking for.
Aside from his wages, David’s goalscoring feats are eye-catching. Since leaving Gent for Lille in 2020, he has scored 109 goals in 231 appearances in all competitions.
In the past three seasons, David has exceeded the 25-goal bracket – making him one of Ligue 1’s top marksmen. As far as gambles go, the Canadian would be on the lower end of the scale.
Incidentally, TEAMtalk has previously revealed that Inter are trying to sign David this summer, but Liverpool are also waiting in the wings for his services.
Our sources have also confirmed that West Ham and Barcelona are tracking the potent forward, who could be the subject of a bidding war soon.
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