Jonathan David is one of the big names of the January transfer window, even if the Canadian Men’s National Team star is not expected to change clubs this winter. The 24-year-old’s current contract with Ligue 1 side Lille OSC expires next summer and although the French side have offered better terms to retain their star. With Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies also in the final six months of his current contract and possibly on the move, 2025 could be a crucial year for Canadian soccer’s two big talents.
David leads Ligue 1 with 11 goals and one assist so far, while LOSC sit in fourth place and are five points behind Olympique de Marseille in second place behind Paris Saint-Germain. However, the former KAA Gent sensation has really caught the eye in the UEFA Champions League, where he has scored six more goals and one more assist in the qualifying and league stages. The Canadian’s combined 17 goals and two assists already put him on track to improve on his 18 goals from 2021-22, which was his previous best in a season with Championnat and UCL action.
Looking at Ligue 1 numbers, 11 is still 13 short of his 24 goals in 2022-23, but eight more goals would equal his total of 19 in 2023-24, which is currently his second-best mark. No wonder then that Premier League and Serie A clubs are sitting up and paying attention to David, who could be theirs without a transfer fee this summer. That Lille finds itself in this situation despite having overtaken AS Monaco as the best French club in terms of player exchanges is not ideal and the North American star will be a big loss if he leaves.
“We are very happy to have it,” LOSC president Olivier Letang said earlier this term. “This summer (2024) he had one year left on his contract, but we had no pressure to sell him. This was also because we did not receive any suitable offer. We already offered him a contract extension and now the ball is in our possession. his court.”
At just 24 years old, it is easy to forget that David has seven years of top-level European experience, having enjoyed two years with Gent in Belgium before joining Les Dogues. Northern France has certainly been his origin and finishing as Ligue 1’s top scorer would be a logical highlight of his time in French football and the timing is crucial for the player and Canada. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up at home in less than two years and Jesse Marsch now at the helm, David will star for the Canucks as they aim to improve in 2022 in Qatar.
“As the president (Letang) has said many times, there are conversations,” David admitted recently, having scored against teams such as Real and Atlético Madrid, as well as Juventus in the Champions League. “We’re talking, but no decision has been made. We keep talking and the door never closes: it’s 50/50.”
Over the last few years, especially during the summer windows, he has flirted with a move to continental giants like Bayern, which would have seen a Canadian union at club level with Davies. Untimely dips in scoring form, coupled with LOSC’s high asking price for his number 9, have contributed to less concrete interest than initially expected, but clubs have always kept an eye on his productivity and battles with Kylian Mbappé. at the top of the scoring table until The Frenchman left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
While David staying on would be excellent news for Ligue 1 as French professional football attempts to rebuild after a series of ruinous television rights debacles, the time has come for the American-born Canadian to explore his options because LOSC has allowed their contractual situation to change. get to this point. There is no real chance that Bruno Genesio’s team will ask for less money for him in the future, so logically this is the most direct route away from Stade Pierre Mauroy, if that is the decision he ultimately decides is best for its development.
