Chelsea ready to challenge Euro giants for transfer of prolific 24-year-old

Chelsea are reportedly ready to challenge Napoli for the potential summer transfer of Lille striker Jonathan David.

The 24-year-old has had an impressive career in Ligue 1, scoring 81 goals in 175 games in total for Lille, having previously also looked like a real wonderkid during his time at Belgian club Gent.

In a way, it’s surprising David hasn’t moved yet, but perhaps his time will finally come this summer as Chelsea are linked strongly with him by Italian paper Corriere dello Sport, as cited and translated by Sport Witness.

David looks like he could surely do a job for the Blues, who have not had the best of seasons, largely due to their lack of a proven, recognised centre-forward.

Nicolas Jackson has shown some potential since moving to Stamford Bridge last summer, but he’s not yet looking like he can be the man to fire in 25-30 goals a season for a top club like Chelsea.

Jonathan David transfer: Could Chelsea do well to sign the Lille front-man?

David is also wanted by Napoli, according to the report, but could he also be good enough to take Mauricio Pochettino’s side up a level next season?

The Canada international might well be an ideal replacement for Napoli’s star forward Victor Osimhen, and perhaps there’ll be some CFC fans keen to see their club competing for a player of his calibre instead.

Still, Osimhen also notably made the step up from Lille to Napoli and has proven a big hit in his time in Serie A, so perhaps David is someone with the potential to go a similar way, in which case perhaps Chelsea could be smart and save themselves a bit of money by moving for him now.

The transfer market is always a bit of a gamble, as you can over-pay for a big name who doesn’t work out, or try the cheaper option for a less proven player, hoping they can fulfil their potential, though that doesn’t always happen either.