A loan that could turn permanent
Lois Openda may never set foot in Turin again. Loaned by Juventus to Olympique Lyonnais this summer for 3.5 million euros, with no purchase option, the Belgian striker has found his form again in Ligue 1. Nine appearances, two goals, one assist. Enough to put him back on his parent club’s radar.
According to Italian daily Tuttosport, Juventus are pleased with his upturn and now want to negotiate a permanent deal with Lyon. That said, the Turin club are not ruling out other offers if they arrive before the winter window closes.
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A saga that started in the spring
The Openda-Juventus story never really took off. Brought in to ease the team’s attacking problems, the former RB Leipzig forward never lived up to expectations in Serie A. His move to Lyon this summer already felt more like a planned split than a routine loan.
At Lyon, Fonseca has given him a role and a renewed sense of trust. The numbers are modest for a striker expected to lead the line, but they are enough to kick-start a career that had looked stuck since his move to Italy. Lyon had already invested in several attacking options to find more bite this season.
Openda had burst into life one level down in Europe’s pecking order. In a RB Leipzig shirt, he scored 24 goals in the 2023-2024 Bundesliga season, a return that earned him his move to Italy. Three years later, that still stands as his best benchmark, well clear of his Turin numbers.
Juventus are also planning for life after David
The Openda file is part of a broader rethink in Turin. The club are also preparing to sell Jonathan David outright, with a move to Atletico Madrid targeted for 2027 according to the same Italian sources. Two separate deals, one common aim: trim an overcrowded attack and turn failed bets into cash for future transfer windows.
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