Barcelona can sign "new Haaland" in sensational £40m swoop

Lille’s record goalscorer Jonathan David has dropped an interesting admission…

According to Fabrizio Romano, the star is expected to leave in the summer, so this latest confession comes across as somewhat of a subtle ‘come and get me’ plea.

What’s the word?

In a recent 35-minute interview with French outlet Winamax, David expressed his ongoing love for a certain Catalonian super-club.

Speaking via Winamax, the 23-year-old said:

“Barcelona has always been my favourite club since I was a kid.”

According to Transfermarkt, the Canadian star’s most recent link away from Lille was with Premier League giants Manchester United, back in October 2022.

Though, with David’s delectable and consistent showings throughout his stay of around three years in Ligue 1, the namedrop of FC Barcelona may just alert recruitment staff at the club.

Canada’s golden boy

At the age of 23, David has endured a consistent rise to prominence.

Bearing in mind his status as a Canadian international, his rise has not been atypical though - with the Lille talisman gaining his professional status in Europe with Belgian side Gent - rather than coming to fruition through the means of Major League Soccer like fellow associates Alphonso Davies and Cyle Larin.

Currently, David sits just three goals behind the latter in the all-time goalscoring charts for Canada, boasting a solid haul of 23 goals in 39 games, having played 20 less games in comparison to 27-year-old Larin.

And whilst that stat is impressive in its own right, his identity as Lille’s record goalscorer puts the 23-year-old in greater regard, sitting at the top of the charts, 11 goals ahead of Eden Hazard.

It’s worth mentioning that David’s haul of 47 goals has come in almost equal split, having bagged 24 goals at home and 23 goals away - there’s that consistency that we mentioned earlier.

Barcelona’s ERLING Haaland?

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that FC Barcelona came close to signing the Canadian prodigy back in April 2020, just four months before he left to join French side LOSC Lille.

This was relayed in a report by Forbes who shared Mundo Deportivo’s claim that saw David dubbed a “new [Erling Braut] Haaland.”

Fast forward three years and those claims are not as wayward as many would have first thought.

David’s efforts in France have seen him follow up on his high potential status as one of Europe’s brightest stars, with the striker netting double figures in each of his three seasons in Lille.

This season, the €45million (£39.6million) talisman has taken his game to new heights, currently sitting pretty with a haul of 19 goals and four assists from 27 Ligue 1 games, having started 26 of those.

The Final Say

Whilst Haaland is in his own lane currently at Manchester City, it’s clear that FC Barcelona can bag themselves a goalscoring machine in the Lille star, with his latest admission inviting interest from the Blaugrana.

With Romano understanding that the Canada star could depart Lille at the end of the season, a move to a club like Xavi’s Barcelona is increasingly possible.