Leeds United ‘in contention’ for £25million Lois Openda transfer amid ‘dream’ verdict
Leeds United are “in contention” for the transfer of Lens striker Lois Openda this summer amid competition from big clubs around Europe, Corriere dello Sport reports.
Lazio, Eintracht Frankfurt, Monaco and Marseille are all after the Belgian who is expected to cost at least €30million [£25.5million], with the Italian’s manager, Maurizio Sarri, said to see the forward as his “dream”.
Openda, 23, scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 this season, and has been widely scouted by interested clubs, while the Whites have long needed another central striker who can score regularly amid fitness issues for Patrick Bamford.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Johnson had reported the Leeds United interest was a “non-starter” amid the relegation battle on Fabrizio Romano’s Caught Offside Substack on 12 May.
But the latest report out of Italy suggests they are still involved in the equation.
Surely not
While it’s not unheard of for an ambitious Championship side to spend big in hopes of promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, it would be a surprise if the Whites splashed out anything like the mooted fee for one player this summer.
The 49ers are thought to want to make a splash having taken over from Andrea Radrizzani, but Johnson’s assessment logically still stands now that the club have been relegated.
If Openda has teams from the top leagues around Europe in the race for him he is bound to be out of reach for Leeds.
With Rodrigo likely to leave and Bamford’s future questioned it is quite possible that whoever comes in at manager will want to sign a forward, pending decisions on Georginio Rutter and Joe Gelhardt for the new season.
Under the previous regime another established goalscorer seemed to forever be the transfer question that went unanswered, and blowing a club-record fee on Rutter when he wasn’t deemed ready to contribute backfired in a big way.
Exciting youngsters Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins are in the equation as well, but if someone is to be brought in via the transfer market it seems like the prospects of it now being Openda are as good as non-existent despite the long-standing interest.
In other Leeds United news, the club have made an inquiry over a manager who was “brutally sacked” as they look to finally make an appointment.