Details of Newcastle’s pursuit of Jonathan David have now emerged and coincide with Paul Mitchell’s departure

Newcastle United transfer target Jonathan David is on the brink of being announced as a marquee signing at Juventus.

David has been chased by Premier League sides West Ham and Manchester United in recent weeks and has not been short of options. But why didn’t Newcastle push for the big-name striker that would have been celebrated as a marquee arrival at St James’ Park by fans?

The year 2025 began looking hopeful for Newcastle supporters keen to see David in the black and white of United. Head of recruitment Steve Nickson was spotted in France on scouting missions and was also in the stands atAnfield for Lille’s defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.

Recently departed sporting director Paul Mitchell held talks to sign the Canada striker during the springtime. But those talks began to hit the buffers towards the end of Mitchell’s stint in charge and for the last two months before David’s exit from Lille the prospect of him joining Newcastle was described as “unrealistic”, according to sources close to the deal.

The David camp did have encouragement from Newcastle at one stage as Nickson trailed the 25-year-old, who hit 31 goals for club and country last term.

However, as the likes of Juve and Napoli cranked up their interest and turned it into concrete offers, Newcastle did not compete for the star’s signature, despite telling his representatives that they “rated” the centre-forward highly.