Canada men’s national team star striker Jonathan David is reportedly only hours away from becoming a new Juventus player.
Fabrizio Romano reported that a verbal agreement has been struck between David and Juventus on a long-term deal. The 25-year-old will travel to Italy to undergo his medical tests on Friday before signing with Juve.
The former Lille striker announced he would not sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 side prior to the end of the 2024–25 season. With his contract now expired, he is expected to join the Old Lady as a free agent.
David had been with Lille since 2020 and helped the team top Ligue 1 during his first season with the club, scoring 13 goals in 37 appearances. The winning campaign was the last time a team not named Paris Saint-Germain conquered the title in France’s top-flight.
Overall, David scored 109 goals and added 30 assists in 232 games played during his five seasons in the north of France.
The New York-born striker opted to represent Canada in international soccer over the USMNT. He’s become a key piece on Jesse March’s side, scoring four goals in six appearances for the national team this summer before a painful elimination from the Gold Cup.
Still, David has 36 goals in 67 appearances for Canada, making him arguably the best striker in the region and a key reason for the rise of the Reds on the international stage over recent years.
His performances from a very young age made big clubs around Europe take notice, and now with his departure from Lille becoming a certainty, teams like Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea were interested in making a move for the Canadian forward. In the end, it’s Juventus who appear to have won the race.
Lille already secured David’s replacement by signing former LAFC striker Olivier Giroud only days ago.
David will join fellow Concacaf players in USMNT’s Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah at Juventus, and his move could add even more uncertainty to the future of Dušan Vlahović.
With the FIFA World Cup only a year away, David will get a chance to compete at a historic European club in a higher-level league. David’s transfer is great news for Canada as it prepares to make a run next summer in a World Cup it will co-host.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canada NT Striker ‘Set to Land’ at Historic European Club As Next Destination.
