Spurs target will not be sold in January - opening the door for free transfer

It was well reported in the summer that Tottenham Hotspur were interested in LOSC Lille’s Canadian forward Jonathan David, although nothing ever came of any links, with the club opting to sign Dominic Solanke from AFC Bournemouth instead.

Despite the signing of Solanke, reports out of Italy have suggested that Fabio Paratici is working behind the scenes to try and help bring David to Spurs. With his contract situation, there is no wonder that there is still interest – even after signing a centre-forward in the summer.

There has now been a further development, with Lille president Olivier Letang telling French publication After Foot RMC: “Jonathan David will not leave in January. We made [a] new contract proposal, and it’s up to Jonathan now.”

Rumoured Spurs target set to be available on a free transfer

Based on previous reports of David wanting to run his contract down at the French side, everything points to the striker being available on a free in the summer of 2025. This could seriously open the door for Spurs, or of course other clubs, to make a move.

As respectable as his numbers were last season, you simply cannot rely on Richarlison’s fitness, and the workload on Solanke this season has already been tough. You can be pretty confident that the club will be in the market for a forward next summer.

Furthermore, David has played 87 career games as a second striker or attacking midfielder, meaning there is the possibility of the Canadian forward and Solanke co-existing in the same side. He has also played a handful of games out wide.

So far this season, the 24-year old has put up seriously impressive numbers. In just 269 UEFA Champions League minutes, David has scored four goals, as well as scoring seven goals in 822 Ligue 1 minutes so far this term. His goal against Suriname earlier this week helped send Canada to the CONCACAF nations league semi finals.

There has also been plenty of interest in David’s club team mate Angel Gomes, who also has an expiring contract in the summer of 2025. From January onwards, both players will be allowed to speak to other clubs with the view to potentially signing a pre-contract agreement. Recent talk has suggested Gomes could be a target in January.

That said, we know how stingy the club can be, so the idea of bringing in players on a free will surely appeal to them. Yet in this case, it would also be bringing in players of quality that could raise the level of the side.