Juventus temporarily unable to shift Openda despite willing bidders in Ligue 1 | OneFootball

Lois Openda is not expected to be part of Luciano Spalletti’s project at Juventus heading into the 2026-27 season, but due to a shortage at centre-forward, the Bianconeri have been left temporarily unable to shift the Belgian despite a willing set of bidders in Ligue 1.

Juventus striker shortage leaves Openda in limbo

The centre-forward situation has been a topic of hot discussion in Bianconeri circles during the off-season: Dusan Vlahovic has now left the club following the expiry of his contract on June 30, which leaves Openda, Jonathan David, Arkadiusz Milik and new recruit Jeff Ekhator as the club’s only senior striking options.

Neither Milik nor Openda are expected to be central to Spalletti’s plans in 2026-27.

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, there has been interest in Openda, despite his underwhelming start to life in Serie A during the 2025-26 campaign.

Monaco, Rennes and Coventry City have been mentioned as potential destinations, but Lyon and Lens are currently looking like the most likely options for Openda this summer according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

VERONA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 20: Lois Openda of Juventus FC in action during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and Juventus FC at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on September 20, 2025 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)

An exit is likely to consist of a loan with an option to buy rather than a permanent sale, which will still help Juventus clear a decent chunk off their wage bill for the 2026-27 season.

However, the issue for Juventus is that the unwanted pair of Milik and Openda are the club’s only senior options available at centre-forward heading into a pre-season friendly against Standard Liege coming up this weekend on Saturday (July 25). That is because Ekhator is not yet up to full fitness and David is still on holiday following his involvement at the 2026 World Cup.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – JUNE 18: Jonathan David of Canada celebrates after scoring the teams second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match between Canada and Qatar at BC Place Vancouver on June 18, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

So, despite the fact that there are willing bidders for Openda, and despite the fact that Juventus are keen to shift the striker from their books, the club are temporarily unable to sanction his departure and are unlikely to do so for the next week at least according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.