Aston Villa’s £50m rated target discusses potential Premier League move after breaking international record
Aston Villa and Chelsea were frontrunners for the in-form Ligue 1 striker
Top Aston Villa and Chelsea striker target Jonathan David has revealed to The Athletic that he had a couple of offers to join Premier League clubs during the summer window.
The Canadian international, who recently became his country’s joint leading goalscorer with 29 goals in 55 caps, enjoyed a season to remember with Lille last term as he fired in 19 goals and four assists from just 34 league matches - making him the second top goalscorer in the division behind former Paris Saint Germain hero Kylian Mbappe.
The 24-year-old forward has hit double figures in every season since turning professional in 2018 and was reportedly seen by Unai Emery as the perfect attacker to compete with top scorer Ollie Watkins in Aston Villa’s first Champions League campaign since 1983.
David told The Athletic: “There were a couple of offers and we just didn’t finish the deal, that’s it. I spoke to a couple of teams. I spoke with coaches but ultimately made the decision to stay.”
David, who is known by the Canadian squad as ‘The Iceman’, chose to keep his cards close to his chest during the interview and added: “I’m in the last year of my contract. Eventually my contract is going to run out. So then we’ll see. We’ll see what happens next year.”
The young forward is currently believed to be in negotiations with Lille over an extension to his contract but as it stands risks becoming a free agent by next summer.
David has not ruled out the prospect of remaining at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy long term but has admitted that at this stage he is also still considering a number of options. He adds that he is not solely focused on a move to the Premier League and would also consider other opportunities throughout Europe.
“I’m open to anything.” David added. “I think obviously the Premier League is regarded as one of the best leagues in the world. And for me it’s not the Premier League or bust. I’m open to anything and every league has its challenges.”