Belgian forward Lois Openda is poised to join Lyon on an initial loan deal with an option to buy, despite a current shortage of attacking options at Juventus. The move, which is reportedly a loan with an obligation to buy, comes after just one season with the Turin club.
Openda arrived at Juventus last summer for a reported €44 million plus bonuses, but struggled to make a significant impact, scoring only two goals and often finding himself on the bench. He has received limited playing time under both Igor Tudor and Luciano Spalletti, leading to his placement on the club’s list of potential departures. The 26-year-old will be hoping for a fresh start in Ligue 1, where he previously played for Lens and is familiar with the league.
Ironically, Openda is expected to start for Juventus in their friendly against Standard Liege on Saturday, as the club are currently grappling with an injury crisis in their attacking department. New signing Jeff Ekhator suffered an injury on his debut, while Arek Milik and Edon Zhegrova are also sidelined. Kenan Yildiz is also working separately to recover from a tendon issue, and Jonathan David is still on holiday following his participation in the World Cup. This leaves Openda as the only recognised senior striker available to Spalletti for the match.
Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca is believed to be a strong advocate for Openda’s signing, having previously managed in Italy with Milan and Roma. Juventus are reportedly hoping to use the funds generated from the deal to pursue other attacking targets, including Randal Kolo Muani and Joshua Zirkzee. The club will be hoping to reinforce their attacking options ahead of the new Serie A season. Openda will leave behind a villa previously occupied by Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba, marking the end of a short and largely unsuccessful chapter in Turin.
The loan move allows Openda to seek regular playing time and rediscover his form, while Juventus can free up a spot in their squad and potentially reinvest the funds in more suitable reinforcements.
