West Ham, Barcelona submit ‘formal offers’ for 107-goal striker available for FREE

Jonathan David is certain to leave Lille at the end of the season and TEAMtalk understands that West Ham are competing with Barcelona to sign the striker on a free transfer.

The Canadian international’s contract expires in June and he has no intention of signing an extension, therefore clubs can open talks with him now to try and reach a pre-agreement ahead of the summer window.

TEAMtalk can confirm that West Ham and Barcelona have both formally reached out to David to understand his position and offer him contract terms.

These terms are not necessarily binding but are a point of discussion and negotiation. The 25-year-old is likely to bide his time before deciding his next move, so he knows which suitors have European football – something West Ham won’t be able to offer.

Sources are clear that David’s preference is to join Barcelona, but there is no agreement yet. Even though some may assume a free transfer would be straightforward to negotiate, there is still work to be done with regards to wages, a signing-on fee, agent fees and other important details.

Barcelona have work to do but David is firmly on their radar as they look to bring in a young, long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 this year.

If David agrees terms with Barcelona, it will be a relatively straightforward decision for him to choose them, but we’re not there yet…

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Barcelona difficulties give West Ham hope

Barcelona remain in a difficult financial position and with regards to David, it remains to be seen whether they have the freedom of wage bill and player registration to be able to sign the striker.

We could see a somewhat similar situation develop to that of Raphinha, when Chelsea agreed a fee with Leeds to sign him but the player simply waited for Barcelona.

However, with Raphinha, Barcelona played on the player’s desire to join to put pressure on Leeds. Lille won’t play a role in David’s exit talks and the Canadian forward perhaps won’t wish to stay a free agent for long.

The offer from the Hammers, which is understood to stand at over £100,000 per week,  will remain on the table. Graham Potter is looking to add depth to his striker options with Michail Antonio still recovering from his accident and past his peak at the age of 35, while summer signing Nicolas Fullkrug has also been plagued by injuries.

West Ham still need to decide on whether to pursue a permanent deal for on-loan Brighton striker Evan Ferguson too, after 20-year-old has failed to score in six appearances for the London club. There is no option to buy as part of the loan.

Sources state that West Ham are big admirers of David but there isn’t necessarily confidence that they will sign him despite their best efforts.

Barcelona and West Ham are the only known clubs to have made formal contract offers to date but TEAMtalk understands that Newcastle are also keeping tabs on David’s situation.

And Chelsea have shown interest in David previously. It remains to be seen whether they revisit a transfer this summer. The Blues have various options under active consideration and are likely to add a forward early in the summer window, potentially in time for the Club World Cup. David will prove to be a bargain, and relatively simple for Chelsea to proceed with given the likelihood of European football, but other names are also under strong consideration at the club including Ipswich’s Liam Delap and Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. Head coach Enzo Maresca is also very happy with Nicolas Jackson, and any name coming up will know they will be competing against Jackson rather than replacing him.

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