Having searched for a new striker in January, Newcastle United decided that Chris Wood would be the man to help steer them clear from the relegation zone, and so far, that decision has paid off.
While the New Zealand international has yet to find the back of the net for the Magpies, they have yet to lose a league game in which he has started, with Eddie Howe’s side now 14th in the table after 25 games.
He’s made an impact on the pitch with his presence up front regardless of his inability to score, but if Newcastle do stay up, another striker will definitely be needed at St James’ Park.
That man could be Jonathan David, with rumours suggesting the Canada international was among the targets being looked at, with claims of talks already taking place.
Update Jonathan #David: The 22 y/o striker wants to leave Lille in summer. No release clause. Sources expect a price tag around €45-55m. His new club should play Champions League next season. No contact with #NUFC so far. Too expensive for the Bundesliga. @SkySportNews 🇨🇦
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) February 28, 2022
The belief was that Lille wanted €60m minimum for their star in the summer, but that fee, according to Florian Plettenburg, might be a bit smaller than expected.
The Sky Germany journalist took to Twitter on Monday to explain that while there is no release clause in the player’s contract, a fee of around €45-55m is expected to be needed to sign the Ligue 1 star in the next transfer window.
David is said to ‘want to leave’ Lille, but it’s made clear that he also wants his next club to play in the Champions League; something Newcastle, despite their strong improvement, will not be able to offer him.
Now, whether a bigger wage and promises of European football the following season will be able to turn the tide in Eddie Howe’s favour remains to be seen, but Plettenberg also points out that, so far, there has been ‘no contact’ with the Magpies for David.
That could easily change, but there’s a lot of work to be done there.
