Why Chelsea, Man Utd & Liverpool are looking at Lois Openda

Sam McGuire

• 10 Oct 2023 12:00 BST
• 5 min read

If a club like RB Leipzig happily break their transfer record to sign a player, he is definitely going to be one to keep an eye on. The Bundesliga side are famed for their ability to unearth talent before selling for a huge profit. The fact they parted with a fee believed to be in the region of €43 million to sign Lois Openda in the summer should tell you all you need to know about the forward.

The 23-year-old was bought to fill the void left by Christopher Nkunku. The Belgium international was a star performer for Lens last term as they shocked Ligue 1 to finish as runners-up. Openda was key to their success, scoring 21 goals and assisting on four occasions during his debut campaign in France.

He joined Lens in the summer of 2022 in a deal reportedly worth €12m. Openda spent two years on loan from Club Brugge with Vitesse in the Eredivisie prior to that. It was a success too, with the explosive forward scoring 19 goals and assisting a further three during the 2021/22 season.

READ MORE: Chelsea register surprise interest in Bundesliga striker

Openda has settled into life at the Red Bull Arena fairly quickly and has four goals and two assists across seven Bundesliga appearances. He found the back of the net against Manchester City in the Champions League recently. The 5ft 10in versatile forward caused Bayern Munich a number of issues in the recent 2-2 draw between the two sides, scoring and assisting.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed. According to multiple reports, the striker, who has a deal with Die Roten Bullen until 2028, is of interest to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

When he signed, RB Leipzig viewed him as someone who would be at the club for the next couple of years. Max Eberl, the former Sporting Director, was quoted as saying: “Loïs is a very direct player, who always looks to attack the goal, whether as a centre forward or on the wings. In addition to his pace, his ability to score goals with both feet and his head only adds to the quality he brings. At just 23 years of age, he still has plenty of potential to grow and he will only get better over the coming years with us. Our fans can look forward to a very special player.”

Revealed: Former Arsenal target has €80m release clause

However, he might be on the move sooner rather than later. Christian Falk, a journalist for Bild, recently revealed details about the striker’s release clause.

“It begins in 2025 and I heard it’s a bit higher than the €80m that has been reported elsewhere.”

At best, RB Leipzig have this season and next with the Belgian leading their line. However, there is a world in which a club comes in with an offer that the German side simply cannot reject, either in January or next summer.

Chelsea aren’t shy when it comes to splashing the cash and Manchester United have a history of going big. The fact both teams are struggling in attack this term only feeds into the idea that both clubs could look to bring Openda sooner rather than later. The 23-year-old is the definition of a reliable goal threat.

He did it in Holland. He did it in France. He’s now doing it in Germany. However, he does seem pretty switched on to what is going to help progress his career. Upon signing for RB Leipzig, he said: “They have a clearly defined and attacking-oriented style of play, which fits perfectly to me as a striker. I’m looking forward to getting to know the team, the city and the fans, and cannot wait to finally get started. I’m joining a club with a top-tier set-up and a team with a lot of potential. I now want to do my part to help us build on the previous successes and achieve more.”

Openda is aware of what systems suit him as a player and he’s going to factor that into any decision. Money might not be enough to sway him if he knows the team isn’t going to accommodate or facilitate him.

Liverpool have a great relationship with the Red Bull-owned clubs and their styles aren’t too dissimilar. The latest success story is Dominik Szoboszlai. The versatile midfielder has hit the ground running at Anfield and has been likened to Steven Gerrard.

The Reds are stacked in attack though so finding room for Openda may be difficult. If they decide to make a move for him though, they will have a clear plan in mind for him and that could spike his interest.

He does have a specific profile that needs to be catered to in order to get the best out of him. For example, he’s a volume player so, for him to be at his most prolific, he’s going to be over three shots per 90. He isn’t, and hasn’t really ever been, part of the build-up, so if an interested team wants him to link play and hold the ball up, he will need to adapt and that could prolong the bedding in period.

Openda looks destined for a big money move at some stage but the links now seem a little premature. Not because he isn’t ready but because United have just signed Rasmus Hojlund, adding another project centre-forward doesn’t make much sense. Chelsea signed the man Openda was brought in to replace in Germany, in Nkunku, and Pochettino appears to want more of a traditional striker leading the line. The RB Leipzig No17 doesn’t fall into that category. While Liverpool have Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo as options right now. Unless one of them is leaving, there isn’t really a way to justify a move for the chance-getter when other areas need addressing.