Free agent move more likely than January transfer in case of strangely unpopular goal machine | OneFootball

Jonathan David has scored consistently ever since moving to Europe, and every summer is linked to top Premier League and Champions League clubs. Yet he’s been at Lille for years now – to the point that rumours about him have become something of an inside joke in football.

Never a window goes by without a Jonathan David rumour – yet here he is all these years later at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, still banging them in and still not getting his move.

Well the joke looks to be finally coming to and end – but with the funniest outcome possible. With just 6 months left on the Canada international’s deal, it would be now or never for a transfer.

But CaughtOffside report that he’s not going to be sold – they reckon teams will hold on and sign him when his contract expires in the summer.

So after all those years, he will leave on a free and not make a transfer after all. Typical.

Chelsea unlikely to break the habit of a lifetime and sign David

Jonathan David with a Chelsea logo. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)

Chelsea could do with a potent goalscorer in this squad, and under some regimes we could see them rolling the dice on David. But given he’s already 24, would have big wage demands, and given he doesn’t provide an upgrade on Nicolas Jackson, there look to be other teams with better chances of signing him than Chelsea.

There was talk earlier this year about a £10m signing on fee to secure David’s signature, which also indicates he’d be asking for a mega salary. If we reach the summer and we’re still looking for a backup striker, and David’s wages are reasonable, he would be worth considering on a free. But we expect another team to have locked him up on a pre-contract by then.