‘Leeds United Are Pursuing’ – Whites Remain In Picture For Attacker | OneFootball

Daniel Bartel/Getty Images

Leeds United ‘are pursuing’ Lois Openda, who appears to be continuing to edge towards the exit door at Juventus following a lacklustre campaign in Serie A.

Openda joined RB Leipzig from Lens in the summer of 2023 for €45m, signing a five-year contract with the Bundesliga outfit after Everton failed in their attempts to land the Belgian striker.

The forward enjoyed a prolific first campaign in Germany, scoring 28 goals and registering seven assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.

His performances in German football saw him jump onto the radar of Juventus, who were looking for an attacker, and the Belgian joined the Bianconeri on loan last summer in a deal that included a €40m obligation to buy.

However, Openda’s time in Italy has not gone according to the plan at all, with the striker finding the net just once in 24 appearances for the Bianconeri.

Juventus CEO Damien Comolli, who recently left his role, admitted the club made a ‘mistake’ by signing a player who is not completely suited to the Italian side.

Despite a difficult season, the 26-year-old remains in demand, with the Belgian forward attracting Premier League interest and Leeds among the clubs keen on him.

While the Whites’ trail has gone cold in recent weeks, according to Italian outlet Tutto Juve, ‘Leeds United are pursuing the Belgian striker’, with interest still solid.

The Premier League side have been joined in the race by a host of sides, meaning competition is fierce.

Ligue 1 sides Monaco and Lens like Openda, while there is also interest from Germany in the shape of Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Bianconeri would prefer a loan move for the player to avoid making a massive loss as they know they cannot recoup the €40m fee.

How quickly matters will get moving for Openda remains to be seen, but Openda missed out a spot in the Belgium squad and is not at the World Cup.

Rudi Garcia chose to take Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard, Jeremy Doku, Dodi Lukebakio, Charles De Ketelaere, Alexis Saelemakers and Matias Fernandez-Pardo on the plane to North America as his attackers.

Openda will surely want to get back into the Belgium mix quickly, which makes his next move at club level crucial.