Arsenal are among the growing list of suitors for Gent midfielder Jonathan David, but his agent has suggested a move to the Emirates may be too soon for his career.
Canada international David is one of the rising stars of Belgian football after an impressive 18 months at the club.
This year he has 22 goals and ten assists in 37 games in all competitions, including a hattrick in the 4-1 win over Sint-Truiden last weekend.
As a result, clubs around Europe are keeping an eye on his progress, and according to Het Laatste Nieuws, Arsenal are among them.
That list is growing from ‘week to week’, with the likes of Everton, Lyon, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United all among his suitors as well.
Indeed, according to technical director Michel Louwagie, there was already a ‘record bid’ for him in January, which the club rejected, Louwagie, making it clear they have no intention of selling David.
Even if they should do so, it seems Arsenal may have to wait, with his agent, Nick Mavromaros, hinting he needs to make a ‘smart’ move next.
“Take Arsenal. We’ll talk about top five in the Premier League,” he told the newspaper.
“The next step has to be a smart one, so maybe that’s too big a jump at the moment. The whole picture has to be right. In what field does a club play?
“How does the coach feel about Jonathan? How sure is he of a base pitch? An intermediate step might be better sometimes.
“I understand that Gent would still like to keep Jonathan, but the club will also like it Gent got him for zero euros, and he will now leave for a record amount”.
