MERCATO – Before Lille – RB Salzburg: How much is Jonathan David worth?

In his place, we expected more Kylian Mbappé, Neymar or Lionel Messi. Or even Arkadiusz Milik and Wissam Ben Yedder. But no, the one who prances at the top of the ranking of scorers in L1 is called Jonathan David. With 10 achievements in 14 small L1 matches, the Canadian impresses. Here he is with 21 league goals on the clock in 2021. And we could add to these attractive figures his achievement in the Champions League against Sevilla to further inflate his statistics. Stats that do not go unnoticed. Necessarily. In L1 but also in Europe.

His name is already mentioned in Italy on the side of Inter Milan. However, the Lombard club will certainly not be the only one at the gate during the next mercatos. Especially next summer when the northerner training may be tempted to let go if an offer that meets their expectations arrives on the desk of Olivier Letang, the president of the club. “He will leave Lille at some point. At 21, when you perform like that, there will be bigger clubs that will come and get him“, admitted Jocelyn Gourvennec his trainer on BeIn Sport this weekend.

A player who ticks all the boxes

Seduced by his attacker who “works for the team“, possesses “the ability to run a lot“and watch”evil coolness in the surface“, Gourvennec even slips:”When you have collective players like Jona ‘, it is priceless“. So precisely, how much is a player who distinguished himself like Jonathan David, who had been the most expensive recruit in the history of LOSC (27 million euros) in 2020 when the LOSC had been looking for him to compensate for the departure of the astonishing Victor Osimhen?

For Jean-Michel Vandamme – who has returned to LOSC in recent months to take care of the Lille training – David ticks in any case all the boxes to increase the amounts while the former co-top scorer of the Belgian championship has already demonstrated its ability to evolve in different worlds while remaining effective. “I have known him well since his visit to Belgium. And he is a monstrous player, explains the former sports director of Lille, who worked for FC Bruges. He is a serious, diligent, professional boy. He adapts more easily in a group, speaks several languages. And on the pitch, he’s smart in the game, has exceptional moves and is efficient in front of goal. It’s a lot“.

Also seduced by his performances in the Champions League this season – a competition which counts in the eyes of the big clubs always reassured when a player demonstrates his ability to get by in the queen competition -, Laurent Schmitt, sports agent and connoisseur of the market , traces the same furrow. “It is an expensive purchase that will generate financial gain. It is the hallmark of Luis Campos. Even if it represented a significant incentive, its sporting level means that it will generate a significant added value.“, launches the Breton agent.

So, should we expect to see him break the bank in a few months? Especially since Lille is in a strong position while he is under contract until June 2025. Laurent Schmitt puts it down. And not the least. The Covid-19 pandemic, which has reshuffled the cards in the transfer market. “The difficulty is that the market is not the same today“Says Schmitt. Affected by the crisis, the clubs no longer necessarily have the same means, even if that did not prevent some from going crazy last summer, especially on the other side of the Channel.

Jean-Michel Vandamme is also convinced that this will not be a problem with a striker like David, who still has so many years ahead of him. “I do not know how much it can be bought and if the LOSC wants to sell it because it is not my domain but I cannot think that the Covid can slow down its evolution, launches the man who discovered Eden Hazard at LOSC. It can be sold for at least double what it was bought. And I’m nice. Because for me, he is a player who can win in England, in Germany. In all major championships. If he continues to do the season he is achieving and keeps this pace, he will not be sold for 60 million euros. I’m convinced. “We should have a first idea on the matter in a few months.