Manchester United are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of 23-year-old Belgian striker Lois Openda, who is valued at €90 million by RB Leipzig.
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri (via Diables Rouges Actu), Manchester United are keen on signing RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda and have “requested details” ahead of a potential transfer approach in the future.
The Belgian forward joined the Bundesliga side from RC Lens for a club-record €38.5 million this summer, with Leipzig fighting off competition from Arsenal to land the 23-year-old. He was a standout performer for Lens last season, bagging 21 goals and four assists in Ligue 1.
His stellar performances played a crucial role in helping Lens finish a mere point behind the league champions, Paris Saint-Germain, and secure their first-ever Champions League finish, which convinced the Leipzig hierarchy to make Openda their record arrival as a replacement for Christopher Nkunku, who moved to Chelsea earlier last summer.
Nevertheless, the Belgium international has picked up where he left off last season and has scored four goals and assisted a further two in the Bundesliga so far, as Leipzig sit fifth in the German top flight.
And he is already attracting interest from top Premier League clubs. German reporter Philipp Hinze reported yesterday that Openda is a target for Arsenal for the next summer transfer window, and now out-of-sorts Manchester United are also chasing after his signature.
It’s been a torrid start to the new campaign at Manchester United, both on and off the field. The varying situations regarding Mason Greenwood, Antony, and Jadon Sancho have dominated the headlines, with manager Erik ten Hag’s future now coming under scrutiny.
The Red Devils recently invested heavily in the centre-forward position when snapping up Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for a package totalling £72 million, including add-ons.
While the Dane has been a bright spot, United may still need a new forward in the future, with Anthony Martial’s contract expiring at the end of the season and United unlikely to exercise their 12-month option.
Openda is a great dribbler who does particularly well at carrying the ball, dribbling into the box, and finishing with both feet. The versatile forward also contributes defensively and seems to have all the goods required to be successful in the Premier League, but taking him away would be a tough task.
The Belgian has a £70 million release clause in his contract, but it only gets activated in 2025. The Red Devils are planning to move for him next summer, so they will have to pay more than his release clause to convince Leipzig to sell Openda, with the above report claiming it could take as much as €90 million to lure him away from the German side.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, financial fair play constraints mean they are bound to have a limited budget in 2024 unless the takeover situation changes. Having said that, the Glazers have backed Ten Hag heavily in the transfer market and could continue to do so if he can turn around their current patchy form.
It remains to be seen if United will make a move for the Leipzig star, but he certainly seems to be a player on their list of targets.
