Ligue One star breaks XG record after stunning hat-trick
Lille star Jonathan David smashed the XG record in a hat-trick performance vs Le Havre.
Lille ran out 3-0 winners at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday night, with Canadian David scoring all three.
He opened the scoring in the 14th minute before doubling the lead in the 44th minute and securing his trio of strikes five minutes after half-time.
David, who is being tracked by a host of top clubs, has now scored 16 goals in all competitions.
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But he also set a new record for the highest XG (expected goals) in his latest outing.
That's because David also had nine shots at Arthur Desmas' goals, including four big chances.
In the end, he ended up with an XG of 3.17 - the most a player has accrued in a game played in one of Europe's top five leagues since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Only Kylian Mbappe has scored more than him in Ligue One this season and a slew of clubs are taking an interest in the former Gent man.
Manchester United were linked with David in the January transfer window, with Aston Villa and Brentford also believed to be keen going into the summer.
Football Transfers say the latter see him as their perfect replacement for talisman Ivan Toney, who is expected to move on.
He could cost in the region of £42 million and David himself has already expressed his interest in playing in the Premier League.
Speaking in December, he said: "In England, when I watch the matches, everything is full each time. As a player, it motivates you even more.
"I don't know, I think it's possible, very possible. I don't know if I can find myself anywhere other than the Premier League. It could well be the Premier League. It's a very nice atmosphere."
Josh Lawless