The big striker search: Latest on David, Osimhen and Gyokeres

Strikers are expected to be in high-demand this summer, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham among the Premier League clubs understood to be on the lookout for a new forward.

In fact, Sky Sports News understands there could be as many as 12 clubs in the market for a frontman this summer.

Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton, Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton, West Ham and Wolves are also considering varying profiles of strikers.

Some clubs have already got theirs, such as Brentford and their £30m January signing Igor Thiago, while we have seen one Premier League target - Benjamin Sesko - decide to stay at his club RB Leipzig already.

 
Image: Jonathan David, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres have been linked with summer moves
In the current transfer window, there appears to be a few tiers to what is on offer at centre forward, depending on their quality and market value; from the top strikers in the world such as Victor Osimhen - who Chelsea are interested in signing, but who is valued at £100m by Napoli - to potential bargains such as Cercle Brugge's £17m-rated frontman Kevin Denkey.

Here, Sky Sports takes a look at the best strikers out there in 2024 - some very much available, others near impossible to get - and uses Wyscout data to showcase their potential for the Premier League.

The affordable bracket
Kevin Denkey
Club: Cercle Brugge
Age: 23
Approximate market value: £16.9m (€20m+)
Contract expires: 2026

Belgium is usually a cheaper market for Premier League clubs to shop in and has an increasing number of exciting young players, Denkey being one who is banging in goals in the Jupiler League for fun.

There is yet to emerge a firm Premier League suitor for him, but he is undoubtedly one that the majority of clubs have been watching considering his strong data set. According to Wyscout's rankings, he is the best striker in Belgium currently.

He is also the fourth top-scorer with 31 goals and has the second-best xG rating (35.04) of all the strikers in this list. He is also second on this list for shots per 90 (3.52). He has speed and power going for him.

Jonathan David
Lille's Jonathan David during the Europa Conference League quarter final soccer match between Aston Villa and Losc Lille at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Image: Jonathan David has been linked with a move to the Premier League this summer
Club: Lille
Age: 24
Approximate market value: £34m-£42m (€40m-€50m)
Contract expires: 2025

With just a year left on his contract, Jonathan David is another seemingly affordable option for a Premier League club, and a good one after his exploits in the French league over the last few seasons.

He was behind only Kylian Mbappe for goals and assists among centre forwards in France last season, with 19 and four respectively. In 2022-23 season, he was top of the combined xG and xA metric for any striker across the top-five leagues, according to Wyscout's data.

This season, David has the second-best xG (30.15) of the strikers in this list, hits more than half of his shots on target in all competitions and again in Europe's top-five leagues, David was second only to Jean Philippe-Mateta in terms of shot accuracy, with 60.5 per cent of his Ligue 1 shots hitting the mark.

France's leading newspaper L'Equipe seem to be aware of the Premier League interest and have also mentioned Atletico Madrid. Further reports say Lille want €50m, but with only a year left on his contract that seems optimistic.

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