Manchester United have reportedly been informed that they could sign Lille forward Jonathan David during the January transfer window for a fee in the region of €50m (£43m).
The Red Devils are likely to move for a new striker at the start of 2023, having terminated Cristiano Ronaldo's contract following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
Ronaldo's departure has left Man United short of options when it comes to the centre-forward spot, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial the only first-team options in that area.
Rashford has been in strong form this season, scoring eight times in all competitions, but Martial has struggled with a number of injury problems in the opening months of the campaign.
Man United had allegedly been planning to bring in a new centre-forward next summer, but Ronaldo's exit could force them to bring their plans forward to the winter market.
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Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez are both thought to be targets, but it would be almost impossible to sign either player in the middle of the campaign.
Barcelona's Memphis Depay and PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo have also been strongly linked with the club, while David has been mentioned as a possible winter acquisition.
According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, the Canada international is on Man United's shortlist, with the club looking to boost their attack at the start of 2023.
Plettenberg claims that David has been scouted on a number of occasions, and he is ready to make the step-up to an elite club at this stage of his career.
Lille have allegedly made it clear that a bid in the region of €50m (£43m) would be accepted during the January transfer window despite his importance to the side.
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David has been in impressive form for his French club during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring nine goals and contributing three assists in 15 appearances in all competitions.
In total, he has managed 41 goals and eight assists in 111 appearances for Lille since making the move to Les Dogues from Gent in August 2020, and he won the Ligue 1 title during his first season at the club.
The striker is currently with the Canada squad at the 2022 World Cup, and he played the full 90 minutes of their 1-0 loss to Belgium in their tournament opener on Wednesday night.
David started his professional career with Gent in 2018, scoring 37 goals and registering 15 assists in 83 appearances for the Belgian outfit before making the move to France.
Matt Law
