How Will Lille Replace Jonathan David’s Inevitable Exit

With the Euros and Copa America behind us, the summer transfer season is just getting started. Among the strikers who are likely to leave Ligue 1 and move to a new home is Jonathan David of Lille. The Canadian talisman has been linked with clubs in both the Premier League and Serie A, making an exit feel inevitable.

It should be no surprise that David has attracted attention from big clubs after scoring 71 goals in 146 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille over the past four seasons. His success with Canada at Copa America this past summer made him even more attractive. In fact, Canada’s success during the summer helped to draw attention to many of the top Canadian betting sites with fans placing hopeful bets on the Canadian team succeeding in a major tournament.

As for Lille, the inevitable exit of David will leave a huge hole in the squad. Danish striker Martin Braithwaite was reported to be a top target for Lille. However, he just completed a transfer to Brazilian club Gremio, taking him off Lille’s radar. They also saw Ligue 1 rival Lyon beat them to Nigerian striker Gift Orban. With those two players off the table, who else can the Mastiffs hope to sign to fill the goal-scoring void that David will leave?

French striker Ludovic Ajorque appears to be a strong possibility. He’s currently playing with Mainz in Germany but could be open for a return to France after two seasons in the Bundesliga. Ajorque compiled double-digit goal totals in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg during both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns. His production has dropped at Mainz, so a return to Ligue 1 could benefit both him and Lille.

However, if Lille loses out on Ajorque the way they failed to sign Braithwaite or Orban, it could be back to the drawing board. On the bright side, with the £52 million they received from selling Leny Yoto to Manchester United and the additional money they figure to make from selling David, Lille should have plenty of money to spend on a new striker.

By the time Lille settles the uncertainty regarding where David will go, they should have a better idea of who they can sign as a replacement. The caveat is that the Mastiffs begin their Champions League campaign with a Third Round Qualifying match on either August 6 or 7. That doesn’t leave much time to settle their summer transfer business and find a new striker before playing competitive matches. Thus, the question of how to replace David continues to hang over Lille’s head.