Newcastle United transfer warning as striker decision confirmed amid Man Utd and Liverpool link

Newcastle United are gearing up for the January transfer window as the club begin to ready themselves for any potential bids, while putting together their own potential bids. Already the list of players being linked with a move to St James' Park is growing, with Eddie Howe keen to strengthen his squad in January for what is shaping up to be a big push for a Champions League place in what is an already congested Premier League table.

One of the players linked looks like being off the table already, however. Newcastle have been reported as having an interest in Lille's Canadian international forward Jonathan David, a player enjoying an impressive season and one who has been tipped for stardom beyond Ligue1.

The 24-year-old is out of contract in the summer and that has alerted a number of clubs, including Newcastle. However, David has recently made it clear he is not interested in moving halfway through a season. While that does not end the chances of the forward departing France in January, the words of the Lille president have gone one step further to indicate getting a deal done before the summer is going to be difficult for any prospective club.

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Lille president Olivier Letang told RMC Sport; "We are not going to sell him in January, and we have not received any offer for him. Jonathan's situation is super simple. We are very happy to have him with us.

"Last season he had one more year left on his contract. We were trying to qualify for the Champions League. You have a guy who scores 20 to 25 goals a season. We had no obligation to sell him."

David has previously been scouted by Liverpool and is a player expected to be in high demand if allowed to walk away on a free transfer in the summer. Juventus, Manchester United and Chelsea are also showing an interest, in what could be one of the big transfer battles of next summer.