Aston Villa won’t pay £42.4m for Jonathan David

Steven Gerrard has been playing Ollie Watkins alongside Danny Ings in attack, so he has no other striker to call upon if Aston Villa are chasing the game. And with the Midlands outfit being ninth in the Premier League for goals (48), it wouldn’t hurt to add a prolific forward for the sake of next season’s promotion push.

But! Football Club believe they’ve identified a solution in the form of Jonathan David, but LOSC Lille’s asking price for the 22-year-old may end Villa’s interest. David joined Lille on a five-year deal from KAA Gent in 2020 and has gone on to make 94 appearances in all competitions, scoring 30 goals with five assists.

The Canadian international, who boasts 20 goals and 12 assists in 30 games for his country, has netted double figures for league goals in each of the last three seasons, so his stock is continuing to rise. Lille have requested €50m (£42.4m) for his signature, however, so Villa might be put off making a move.

David hasn’t been in the best form this year either, scoring just one Ligue 1 goal since December 2021 and failing to make an assist all season, so Gerrard could turn his attentions elsewhere.

In other news, Calvin Bassey could be good signing for Aston Villa