Leeds best-placed to sign 107-goal Juventus striker in stunning transfer coup – report | OneFootball

Leeds United have burst into the race to sign Lois Openda from Juventus in a potential statement deal, according to a report.

Openda is a 26-year-old striker who was born in Liege, Belgium, and had spells at Club Brugge, Vitesse Arnhem and Lens before joining RB Leipzig in July 2023. It is with Leipzig where Openda made a name for himself as a deadly centre-forward, scoring 41 goals in 91 matches for the German side.

This form prompted Juve to sign him on an initial loan deal worth €3.3million (£2.8m) last summer. The transfer recently became permanent for €40.6m (£35m) as Juve guaranteed their place in Serie A’s top 10 – the necessary criteria for the deal to be activated.

Despite Openda’s top-class pedigree, he has not been able to make his mark in Turin. He has managed just two goals in 36 appearances amid fierce competition for starts from the likes of Jonathan David, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik.

Italian source Calciomercato report that Juve ‘want to sell Openda’ as he is out of the plans of their manager, Luciano Spalletti.

Elland Road has emerged as the Belgian’s most likely destination, with Leeds ‘on the trail’ for his capture.

Leeds are looking past the forward’s struggles at Juve and aim to get Openda back to the ‘excellent’ form he previously showed at Leipzig.

The Whites signed Weston McKennie from Juve in January 2023, and they are supposedly eyeing a similar deal for Openda, who has netted 107 career goals in 315 appearances.

Any transfer would likely be an initial loan with an option to buy. This would give Leeds the opportunity to assess his form before committing to a permanent deal.

Juve want €30m (£26m) to sell Openda but appreciate this will only happen if he reignites his career out on loan.

Leeds signing the 33-cap Belgium international is dependent on them avoiding relegation to the Championship this season.

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Leeds could relaunch Lois Openda career

Daniel Farke’s side sit 15th in the Premier League with six games remaining. They have a six-point lead over 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Leeds fans will understandably have concerns about Openda joining given his problems this term. But it could end up being a masterful deal if Farke can get Openda to return to his Leipzig form.

Openda was previously scoring against top sides in the Champions League, so the talent is clearly there. Confidence and regular game time will be crucial to Openda getting his career back on track.

Farke has a poor track record in the Premier League, but he is edging closer to keeping Leeds up. A report suggests club chiefs have decided whether to keep the German heading into next season.

One outspoken pundit thinks Farke should retain his job, having heaped praise on the manager.

In terms of more potential summer signings, we can reveal that