West Ham have revived their interest in the Lille striker Jonathan David, who is available on a free transfer this summer. Graham Potter is keen to improve his attacking options and has identified the Canada international as a top target.
David, who looks certain to leave Lille, is not short of suitors and it will not be easy for West Ham to sign him. Inter and Juventus are interested in the 25-year-old, who has scored 20 goals for Lille this season. His performances have played a key role in the club reaching the last 16 of the Champions League after finishing seventh in the league phase.
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West Ham looked last summer at signing David, who helped Lille win Ligue 1 in 2021. They moved on to other targets after being priced out of a move but have continued to monitor him. It remains to be seen whether West Ham will be able to meet David’s wage demands. He is proven in the Champions League and has scored more than 100 goals since joining Lille from the Belgian club Gent five years ago.
West Ham have found it difficult to enhance their options in attack in recent years. Niclas Füllkrug has struggled with form and fitness since joining from Borussia Dortmund last summer and remains sidelined by a hamstring injury. The veteran forward Michail Antonio was injured in a car crash in December and there is no timeline on his return. Danny Ings, who has made little impact since joining two years ago, is out of favour.
Potter was forced into the market after his appointment as head coach last month and eventually landed Brighton’s Evan Ferguson on loan. West Ham do not have an option to buy the Republic of Ireland striker, who made his debut in last weekend’s defeat by Brentford, and are aware their chances of agreeing a permanent deal for the 20-year-old this summer are low.
West Ham are 16th before visiting Arsenal on Saturday afternoon. Potter has won one of his first six games and his options are limited because of injuries to key players. The Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville has experienced a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury and Lucas Paquetá is out for up to four weeks after injuring an ankle in training this week.
