Chelsea's €80m target 'open to move' as Man Utd hijack bid

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 13 Dec 2023 15:10 GMT
• 3 min read

Lois Openda has admitted that he is open to a transfer to the Premier League as Manchester United reportedly attempt to hijack Chelsea’s move for the striker.

Openda has emerged as one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe over the last year or so and he has been a revelation this season.

Since his summer transfer to Leipzig from Lens, he has scored an impressive 10 goals in 14 games in the Bundesliga. He also has four goals in five games in the Champions League as Leipzig booked their place in the last-16.

His performances have led to strong interest from Chelsea, who have made the signing of a top class attacker one of their priorities in 2024.

Chelsea have the likes of Victor Osimhen, Dusan Vlahovic and Ivan Toney all on their striker shortlist, along with Openda.

However, according to Fichajes, Man Utd are ready to hijack Chelsea’s move for Openda and are planning a big-money bid in January.

Fichajes says that United will table a €70m bid but that Leipzig are asking for €80m.

Openda himself says that he is open to a move to the Premier League but is only focused on Leipzig right now.

What did Openda say?

“I am open to everything,” Openda told Bild.

“Maybe one day I will move to England or Spain.

“But for the moment, I am totally focused on Germany and my duties with RB Leipzig.”

Man Utd are also looking for another striker as €85m summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has still not scored in the Premier League this season.

Openda, who will turn 24 in February, scored 21 goals in 38 games last season to take Lens into the Champions League.

He has been capped 12 times for Belgium and scored two goals. His idol as a youngster was Didier Drogba, which could serve as an advantage for the Blus in any transfer battle with Man Utd.