Arsenal and Tottenham could land £42m target for nothing as contract 'decision' made

A reported long-term target of Arsenal and Tottenham’s could be available for free this summer in a dream scenario for both sides. Tottenham addressed their striker need over the summer, signing Dominic Solanke for around £65million, but questions remain over Richarlison’s future at the club.

Arsenal, meanwhile, continue to rely on Kai Havertz as their man frontman, while Gabriel Jesus is the other main option in that striker role. Mikel Arteta has resisted calls from fans to sign a proven goalscorer, insisting that Havertz is the perfect type of player for his system.

He said of Havertz recently: “He’s on high press, he goes full gas, the way he holds the ball, the position he takes in the box. He’s an attacking midfielder, he plays as a nine, you don’t know where he is, that’s his football brain. His focus now is ‘I’m going to win the game, I’m going to do it’ and that’s a different thing.”

On his recent scoring run, he added: “He is practising, and he wants more. He is not satisfied with what he is doing, because there is still, I think, another level from him. Obviously he is surrounded by incredible players, but something has changed in him. That confidence, you really sense it. Now he is winning games and football matches, which is great.”

Whether Arsenal will look to add a striker in the future is a different question, though, especially if Gabriel Jesus grows tired of playing back-up, and Lille frontman Jonathan David is a player who has long been linked with a move to North London, both to Arsenal and Tottenham. David has scored 76 goals in 152 games for Lille and 29 goals in 56 league games for his nation, Canada. That sort of form has seen him become a hot property in Europe, but until now Lille has managed to keep hold of him.

David ‘makes contract decision’

David’s current contract with Lille is set to expire next summer, and according to reports from Football Espana, David has now decided that he will not renew his contract with Lille, which will allow him the right to agree a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of France from January 1.

Such free deals usually come with inflated wage demands, but David’s wage should be very affordable for Arsenal, Tottenham and many of the bigger Premier League clubs. David is valued at £42million by Transfermarkt, so a free transfer would represent fantastic value for money for whoever gets their hands on him.