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Newcastle United have been keeping tabs on Lille striker Jonathan David, according to reports – but they face competition from two European powerhouses.

David has impressed since moving to European football in 2018. The Canada international made his breakthrough in Belgium with Genk. Then, in 2020, he earned a transfer across the border to France with Lille.

In his debut season there, he scored 13 goals from 37 Ligue 1 appearances. So far this term, he has eight from 13 in the top flight.

At the age of 21, he is finding form and it seems he will only improve. Therefore, previous links with a Premier League move may be resurrected.

In fact, Le 10 Sport believe Newcastle have been watching David’s progress closely. What’s more, they “have already made known their intentions”.

After their Saudi-backed takeover, they are ready to compete for big targets in the transfer market.

The new owners will be keen to make a statement signing and a new attacker would bring excitement. Of course, current centre-forward Callum Wilson is one of the better players in the squad, but more options may be useful.

Joelinton and Dwight Gayle are the backup options available to incoming coach Eddie Howe. He may benefit from having another attacker of a higher level to compete with Wilson.

David has big potential and has previously been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool. But Newcastle now have the money to battle clubs of such stature as long as they can convince targets of their sporting project.

David was a Ligue 1 title winner with Lille last season. Therefore, dropping to a relegation battle in the Premier League may not be the logical next step. But it seems he has the chance of moving to England at some point.

At his age, there is every chance that Newcastle will have developed into a major force by the time he reaches his prime. They could try to convince him to join them for that journey much earlier.

Alternatively, though, David is attracting interest from Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, Le 10 Sport relay.

Inter have been monitoring him for as long as Newcastle, while for PSG he is not a priority but someone they could consider.

Wherever he ends up, a transfer is unlikely to materialise mid-season. Instead, Lille would be ready to cash in during the summer of 2022.

There is a chance that could play into Newcastle’s hands, since they will have hoped to secure Premier League status by then and would be ready to build a more competitive squad for next season.

But Inter and PSG remain stronger on the pitch at present, so the Magpies are facing tough competition.

Newcastle learn chances of signing Barcelona attacker

Meanwhile, Newcastle have discovered difficulties in their pursuit of another exciting target.

One of their ambitious ideas is to lure Philippe Coutinho back to English football. The Brazilian has struggled to have any significant impact at Barcelona since his £142m switch from Liverpool over three years ago.

Coutinho’s greatest achievement came while on loan at Bayern. He helped them to win the 2020 Champions League, scoring twice against his parent club in a quarter-final thrashing.

Newcastle offered Coutinho an escape route out of Camp Nou and have now received an answer. Reports in the Spanish press clarify that Coutinho has rejected their proposal.

The 29-year-old wants to remain with Barca in an attempt to kickstart his career there. He believes he can impress new manager Xavi and become a regular starter.

The star will not be leaving Spain this winter. But if his situation does not change by the end of the campaign, then both the club and player will reconsider their stance.

Coutinho has made 101 appearances for the Blaugrana in all competitions, scoring 24 goals.

It is something of a reality check for Newcastle, who won’t be able to get everyone they want even though they can afford them.

But they are still making plans and will hope to get some good deals over the line in 2022.

READ MORE: Newcastle make plan to pinch PSG star in January who could ease worry

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