‘There’s no doubt’: Manager suggests Newcastle could sign his £50m ace

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Canada coach John Herdman admits that Newcastle United have shown interest in a number of his World Cup-bound players with Lille striker Jonathan David one name on the Premier League club’s radar, speaking to The Chronicle. 

Make no mistake, Canada are not heading to Qatar merely to make up the numbers.

In Bayern Munich treble-winner Alphonso Davies, the North American nation have one of the tournament’s finest wide players in their ranks. Stephen Eustaquio has five goals from midfield this season for Portuguese giants FC Porto too. And only Terem Moffi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have hit the target more times than David in France’s Ligue 1 this term. 

The Chronicle believes that David, formerly of Genk, is on Newcastle’s radar. 

And while Herdman did not confirm such reports, he did admit that Steve Nixon – the Magpies’ head of recruitment – has been casting a keen eye on some of Canada’s most exciting talent. 

Will Newcastle United sign Lille striker Jonathan David after Qatar World Cup?

“I’ve had a few good conversations with (Nixon) over the last two years,” explains the Consett-born coach. “Around some of the Canadian players. So they’re on the radar. There’s no doubt (about that). 

“We had a good chat about some of the Canadian players. They’re on board, they’re aware, they’re doing their homework. (Newcastle) are aware of some of those younger guys that are starting to emerge.”

Former Newcastle defender David Edgar is one of the few very Canadian footballers ever to feature in England’s Premier League. The £50 million-rated David could follow in his footsteps, however; opening the door to a potential move across the Channel recently (Sky Sports).  

“I dare say this World Cup, and the World Cup in 2026 (in North America), is going to raise the stock of Canadian players,” adds the Newcastle-supporting Herdman.

“While I’m still manager, I’ll be supporting my local club to have those conversations. There would be nothing better for me than to watch my top players playing on a Saturday at the club I want to watch them play for.”