Chelsea have held talks with the representatives of Lille striker Jonathan David about a potential transfer this summer.
The 24-year-old Canada international is high among a number of options the Stamford Bridge club are looking at to strengthen their attack ahead of next season.
Considering that David has 12 months left on his contract and Lille president Olivier Letang recently gave his public blessing to a move in the current market, the forward is expected to be available for a reasonable price.
Chelsea are yet to approach the French side but have a good relationship with Letang by virtue of also owning fellow Ligue 1 team Strasbourg, via their BlueCo consortium.
David joined Lille from Belgian side Gent four years ago in a record deal for the French club.
He has gone on to register 84 goals in only 183 matches — a record of 0.46 goals per game — to rank him third on Lille’s all-time scoring list and the highest of the 21st century.
A regular, missing just three matches in four seasons, David was also a key part of the Lille side that won the Ligue 1 title as well as the Trophee des Champions in 2021.
He played every league game in 2023-24, scoring 19 goals — including against Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Lyon — to help Lille to a fourth-place finish and Champions League qualification.
GO DEEPER
50 to watch – Jonathan David: The Canada striker determined to be a household name
Follow Jonathan David at Copa America
One of Canada’s star players as they begin a new era under head coach Jesse Marsch, David started the tournament opener against Group A favourites Argentina and played the full match, which the defending champions won 2-0. David has 48 caps for his country and has scored 26 goals since making his debut in September 2018.
Follow along on The Athletic for updates and analysis as we’ll be at each of Canada’s matches throughout the tournament. See our David scouting report in The Radar, read about his unconventional journey from Ottawa to becoming one of the most in-demand strikers in Europe, and the qualities that could make him a household name.
Canada’s upcoming matches:
- vs Peru, Tuesday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET (Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS)
- vs Chile, Saturday, June 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET (Inter & Co. Stadium, Orlando, FL)
(Francois Lo Presti/AFP via Getty Images)