Liverpool READY to sign 100-goal Diogo Jota replacement

Diogo Jota's injury troubles have reared their heads again, with the Portuguese striker set for another spell on the sidelines.

Jota got off to a good start to the season under Arne Slot, scoring the first goal in the opening weekend win against Ipswich.

He's been in decent form since then, with two goals and two assists to his name in his seven Premier League games so far.

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However, Jota is unfortunately prone to injury, with his combative style often leading to him picking up knocks during games.

That happened once again during Liverpool's recent 2-1 win over Chelsea when Jota was pulled down by Tosin while seemingly through on goal.

The Chelsea defender only a yellow card for his foul, despite the challenge being almost exactly the same as one which saw Arsenal's William Saliba sent off against Bournemouth just a few days prior.

To add insult to injury – or injury to insult in this case – Jota was forced to go off a few minutes later, having injured his ribs during the fall.

It means Slot will be without Jota for the upcoming trip to Arsenal, with Darwin Nunez expected to keep his place in the side after scoring against RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Jota and Nunez have shared striking duties under Slot so far, but the Dutchman's insistence that Nunez needs to improve along with Jota's injury record leaves Liverpool looking for a new striker for the future.

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Liverpool eyeing new striker

Liverpool are eyeing Jota's replacement, with a move for Lille's Jonathan David on the cards, according to Inter Live.

The 24-year-old Canadian attacker has long been linked with a move away from Ligue 1, and it's not the first time he's attracted interest from Merseyside.

David was also considered back in 2020 before the Reds decided to sign Jota, but an Anfield move for the Canadian forward could now be back on.

Liverpool were also heavily linked with an approach for David during the summer transfer window, but he ended up staying at Lille.

Jonathan David's contract situation

Lille are in a similar situation with David as Liverpool are with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as his contract with the club is set to expire at the end of the season.

Unlike the Liverpool trio, however, David is virtually guaranteed to leave the French club, and Liverpool could be a perfect destination for him.

With three mega contracts potentially being lined up for Salah, Van Dijk and Trent, Sporting Director Richard Hughes will be looking at any way he can save some money over the next twelve months.

Speaking on The Debrief podcast earlier this month, Fabrizio Romano revealed that he expects David to leave Lille as a free agent at the end of the season.

“He [David] will consider several things, not just financially, the project, the managers, so he’s not going to decide now.

“Jonathan David will explore his options, but for sure I expect him to leave Lille as a free agent.”

Why do Liverpool want Jonathan David?

Two goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League can't hurt a player's chances of signing for Liverpool.

Aside from his recent performances, David has put together an impressive goalscoring CV.

Since joining Lille from Belgian club Genk in 2020, David has bagged 92 goals in 197 games, including eight goals in fourteen games this season.

He's absolutely rapid and uses his pace and intelligence to cause opposition defences huge problems – traits that Slot loves to have in his side.

If he could replicate that record at Anfield, he would be a huge success at Liverpool.

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