Newcastle are leading the fight to sign the 91-goal ace

According to Italian news agency Tutto Juve, Newcastle United are leading the three-way battle to sign LOSC Lille striker Jonathan David in January.

Newcastle United had a disappointing summer transfer window despite the arrival of new sporting director Paul Mitchell. In recent weeks there have been numerous reports of disagreements between the new recruiting expert and Eddie Howe.

Mitchell's comments in the media about the disappointing transfer window and his first impressions of the recruitment situation at the club caused controversy and led many journalists to question the relationship between the manager and his sporting director.

Despite constant reports of a row, the Newcastle boss has maintained a harmonious atmosphere behind the scenes on Tyneside and has dismissed attempts to suggest a problem during his press conferences in recent weeks.

On the pitch, performances were mixed as last season's injury crisis crept into the new season and Callum Wilson and Sven Botman have not yet featured and are unlikely to return any time soon.

The constant injury problems plaguing Wilson in particular mean the team continues to lack options at centre-forward, particularly with Alexander Isak now out with a broken toe.

It was hoped that Howe would learn his lesson from last season, when Isak and Wilson were rarely fit at the same time, and that he would sign a strong first-team option in the summer to compete with the pair for playing time.

Considering both strikers were sidelined on multiple occasions over the course of the frustrating season, it was surprising that the Magpies only added William Osula to their attacking threat, a player with plenty of potential but not the proven track record to be trusted as the sole provider of goal contributions per week.

However, the club may finally be abandoning their stubborn stance on signing a rival to Newcastle's goal machines, with LOSC Lille star Jonathan David firmly in their sights for January, if reports from Italy are to be believed.

Tutto Juve claim Newcastle are leading a three-way battle to sign the Ligue 1 attacker, with Juventus and Inter Milan also monitoring his situation in France ahead of the winter transfer window.

Would Jonathan David be a good signing for Newcastle?

There is no doubt that the Canada international would add a quality creative option to the attacking threat at St James' Park, with both the quality and experience to edge out his rivals for the centre-forward role.

Despite his productivity in front of goal, Wilson's lack of availability has been a constant cause of the erosion of the quality available to Howe in key games and periods of the season, which is incredibly frustrating.

The 32-year-old is in the final stages of his career and the end of his contract is approaching, so bringing in a replacement who can match his finishing quality while increasing the availability for rotation in the striker role would be ideal.

As for Isak, there is no doubt that he is one of the best strikers in the Premier League at the moment, but like Wilson, the Swede is no stranger to picking up injuries and has been sidelined for weeks on several occasions.

Therefore, the signing of David on Tyneside would be hugely welcomed by fans and if he could achieve the numbers he achieved at Lille, there is no doubt that he would quickly become a fan favorite.

In 194 appearances for Lille, the 24-year-old has scored 91 goals and provided 20 assists, which equates to one goal contribution every 131 minutes played. This is a fantastic achievement that could help Newcastle achieve their goals of competing in Europe every season.

Furthermore, his injury record is much cleaner than that of his competitors for the center forward role in the North East, having been unavailable for selection for just 13 days since 2021 and having missed just three games for the French club.

With this in mind, signing David would be a no-brainer for Newcastle, as it would not only give Howe more power in the forward line, but also a player whose availability is reliable.