Report: Canada star David agrees to join Juventus on free transfer
Canadian striker Jonathan David has agreed to sign a long-term contract with Juventus, sources told Matteo Moretto of ESPN.
The Italian club came to terms with the coveted free agent following its exit from the Club World Cup on Tuesday.
David, 25, is expected to travel to Turin on Friday to undergo a medical before officially signing his contract, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
The all-time leading scorer for Canada's men's national team, David became a free agent this summer after spending the last five seasons at Lille. He scored 87 league goals for the club in that time, and helped Lille win the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21. Across all competitions, he found the net 109 times in 232 games.
He's registered 34 goals in 63 appearances for Canada, and captained the team at this summer's Gold Cup.
David was reportedly being tracked by several of Europe's top sides in recent years.
"I want a club with ambition that wants to do something," he told Joshua Kloke of The Athletic in June about plans for his next move. "Obviously, I would love to fight for titles, to win titles. A team that's competitive, that has ambition, really, with a good sporting project."
He'll join a Juventus side looking to build on last season's fourth-place finish. As he did last year with Lille, David will once again get the opportunity to play in the Champions League.
He scored against Juventus when the two teams met in Europe's top competition last season.
His expected arrival, which will make him the club's first official signing of the summer, further casts doubt on the future of Dusan Vlahovic. The high-priced Serbian striker, who has one year remaining on his contract, was an unused substitute in Juve's 1-0 last-16 loss to Real Madrid in the Club World Cup.
Juventus are also in talks with Paris Saint-Germain to extend forward Randal Kolo Muani's loan. The Frenchman played the full 90 minutes against Madrid and, if he remains, figures to be David's primary competition for starting minutes unless manager Igor Tudor opts for a tactical change that would allow the pair to play up front together.