Telegraph journo shares update on future of £27.3m-rated striker after Leeds approach
Leeds United seem destined to miss out on striker target Jonathan David with the KAA Gent player set to join Lille, according to Telegraph journalist Sam Dean.
Canada international David, 20, has been in superb form for Gent this season, scoring 23 goals and supplying 10 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
Dean reported on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday that Leeds did make an approach to sign David this summer while Arsenal have also monitored him.
However, Ligue 1 club Lille are now homing in on a deal for the New York-born forward, with them hopeful of reaching a conclusion “in the next few days”.
David definitely has a record that will get fans excited because he’s been in such fine goalscoring form during his time at Gent.
He’s even netted 11 goals in his 12 appearances for Canada, although most of those goals were against weak nations such as Martinique, Dominica and Cuba.
The Belgian league isn’t the strongest of leagues and we’ve seen this season in the Premier League how strikers can struggle when moving from there to the Premier League.
Aston Villa spent over £30million on Wesley Moraes and Mbwana Samatta from Club Brugge and Genk. Between them, they scored six Premier League goals.
It is easy to make those sorts of comparisons and it isn’t the case for all players to struggle in English football after playing in Belgium.
But that seems a moot point anyway, as David appears to be closing in on a move to French club Lille.
It will be interesting to see how the £27.3million-rated [Kristof Terreur] striker gets on in Ligue 1 next term.
That is when we will be able to tell if Leeds missed out on David or have dodged a bullet.
In other Leeds United news, Eddie Gray claims the Whites are doing everything they can to sign this £40million-rated player.