'Bid rejected': Arsenal and Tottenham boost in transfer race as Liverpool £10m offer rebuffed

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have had any remaining hopes of signing Lille forward Jonathan David before Deadline Day boosted by news that Liverpool have seen a bid for the 25-year-old rejected.

The Canada international has been linked with several Premier League clubs this month with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season. With Newcastle United also linked, the ChronicleLive reports that Lille have this week rejected a £10 million bid for David from an unknown club, that is believed to be Liverpool.

The French outfit value the player at £50 million, despite the risk of losing him as a free agent come the end of the campaign. Lille president Olivier Letang is said to have had no hesitation in turning down the Reds' offer, determined to keep the player so as not to have his side's hopes of a Champions League place affected.

Lille striker linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur

David had previously hinted at an affection for Liverpool. Speaking after his side's 2-1 Champions League defeat at Anfield last month, he said: “Very good team. I think they might be the best team in the world at the moment.”

News of the rejected Liverpool bid is a boost for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Both North London clubs are in the market for attacking reinforcements as the final days of the window come.

The Gunners are without Brazilian international Gabriel Jesus for the rest of the season and Bukayo Saka is also sidelined. It appears that Arsenal would have to meet that lofty £50 million valuation to tempt Lille to sell, but the club does appear to have that sum available amid talk of a £60 million offer for Aston Villa man Ollie Watkins.

With Jhon Duran now set to head out of Villa Park for Saudi Arabia, that could make any deal for the England international even harder and push Arsenal to turn to alternatives such as David.

David keen on Premier League move

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur appear close to finalising a deal for Bayern Munich man Mathys Tel. However, the is also talk of a late Manchester United attempt to hijack that move.

Earlier this season, David had hinted at a desire to move on to a new challenge away from France. He said: “What am I waiting for? I guess now it’s easier to say. I’m in the last year of my contract.

“Eventually my contract is going to run out. So then we’ll see. We’ll see what happens next year. I’m open to anything. I think obviously the Premier League is regarded as one of the best leagues in the world. And for me, it’s not the Premier League or bust. I’m open to anything and every league has its challenges.”

The forward has 19 goals in all competitions so far this season. David was absent from the Lille squad in their last Ligue 1 fixture against Strasbourg, which resulted in a first league defeat since September, but that was due to suspension rather than transfer speculation.

In other news, this is how Arsenal's starting XI could look next week when the transfer window slams shut, should current rumours come true.