Manchester United have been put on high alert, with long-time target Jonathan David's Lille future seemingly up in the air.
The Canada frontman was tipped to leave France at the end of the 2021-22 season, with agent Nick Mavromaras suggesting as much. David ultimately remained at Stade Pierre-Mauroy before joining up with his national side for the World Cup, but talk of a move has regained traction.
Part of the reason for this is recent comments from Lille head coach Paulo Fonseca. The Portuguese boss took over at the Ligue 1 club after a stint with Roma, and has given United - and other potential suitors - pause for thought.
"It will be difficult to keep Jonathan David at the club next season," Fonseca told La Voix des Sports. "There are not many strikers with his skills & numbers in Europe… he’s just 22.
“I think top European clubs will try to sign Jonathan David,” the manager added. David failed to score at the World Cup as Canada finished bottom of their group, but has an enviable record at club level.
The frontman, who turns 23 in January, hit double figures in each of his first two Ligue 1 seasons after joining Lille from Gent. He has nine from 15 appearances this term, but Fonseca's team went into the World Cup break five points adrift of the Champions League spots.
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Back in October, David appeared to open the door to a Man Utd move. The US-born star is under contract at Lille until 2025, but has spoken about having his sights set on bigger things.
"Yeah, you know for me, I was always watching European football on TV," he told Sky Sports News. So, for me that was always the goal. For me it was, I only wanted to go to Europe.
"The next step is always growing, having more ambition, a bigger club I think. Every player wants to play for a massive club in their life. So I think if I had the chance to do it, I'll go for it for sure.
"I think they're two different leagues [the Premier League and La Liga]. But I think I can adapt to both for sure. And I think with the experience that I've had here in France, it will help me a lot if I need to adapt to some place else a lot faster. So yeah I think both leagues suit me."
United could be in the market for a new attacker in January, let alone over the summer, after last season's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo saw his contract terminated by mutual agreement. Portugal star Joao Felix is among those to be linked, but a return for David could yet follow if the price is right.
