Graham Potter wants to bring Lille striker Jonathan David to West Ham on a free transfer this summer, but face stiff competition from Barcelona and Arsenal. 

It’s clear West Ham need a striker with Michail Antonio aging and recovering from a broken leg, and failed summer signing Niclas Fullkrug and Danny Ings set to depart in the summer. Potter would love to make the loan for Evan Ferguson permanent, but another player he wants to bring to East London to bolster his striking options is Jonathan David.

The Canada striker is available for free this summer as his contract with French club Lille is set to expire, five years since arriving from KAA Gent in Belgium.

The 25-year-old has an excellent record for Lille scoring 105 goals and providing 41 assists in 220 matches in all competitions for the French side. This season has arguably been his best yet scoring 21 goals and providing 9 assists in 31 starts for Les Douges.

The Hammers would be able to blow Barcelona out of the water financially when it comes to signing David. The five-time Champions League winners have been struggling financially for years now and will not be able to match the wages, agents fees and signing bonuses that we can offer. However, the pull of Barcelona and the chance of continuing to play UCL football could still make him choose the Catalans over the cockneys.

Arsenal is also a potential destination for the Canadian striker as they have had pervious interest, however, with another 2nd place finish on the cards they will more than likely try to make a move for a more marquee name like Alexander Isak or Victor Gyokeres.

If West Ham can get a deal for Jonathan David over the line it would be a real coup for Graham Potter going into next season. We are desperate for a complete re-hake of our striker options and getting a player of his talent and age in on a free would be a great start.

The Hammers could also look to bring in another striker as well as David depending on who leaves. A permanent move for Evan Ferguson could be an option but is likely to cost too much, Emanuel Emegha from Strasbourg is also said to be a major target for Potter and Macauley.