Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are interested in signing Lille striker Jonathan David, who has been touted for a big-money departure this summer.
The Guardian reporter Jacob Steinberg claims the Canadian marksman has turned down a salary package worth €12 million per year from the Riyadh club.
However, that has done little to deter them from pursuing his signature.
They will reportedly keep communication lines with the player open, hoping to convince him to make the transfer.
Lille value David at around €60m. Al Hilal’s financial backing means agreeing a transfer fee wouldn’t be a problem, but convincing David will be challenging.
The versatile 23-year-old is expected to leave Lille this summer, but he wants to remain in Europe, despite a lack of offers for his signature.
David has previously been vocal about his desire to ply his trade in the Premier League at some point in his career.
However, there is no concrete interest or proposal from English clubs, despite his goalscoring exploits in France.
The United States-born striker fired Lille to the Europa Conference League with 24 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season.
His eye-catching goalscoring return was only bettered by Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe and Olympique Lyonnais striker Alexandre Lacazzette with 29 and 27 goals, respectively.
Bayern Munich are one of several clubs monitoring David’s situation, but the German champions are focused on signing Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and AC Milan have all sounded out an interest in David in the past, but nothing has materialised.
Al-Hilal have been on a spending spree this summer, signing Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Malcom. But snapping up David would be a significant coup.
The Canadian forward has two years left on his contract with Lille, so it remains to be seen if Al-Hilal can convince him to ditch Europe for the Saudi Pro League.
