RB Leipzig have signed 23-year-old Belgian striker Lois Openda from RC Lens as their latest club-record signing.
According to reports, Leipzig paid a fee of approximately 38 million euros to acquire the talented young Belgian player from the French team.
The 23-year-old player has recently signed a five-year contract with Leipzig, which will last until June 2028. During this time, he will proudly wear the number 17 shirt for the team.
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig have been eagerly pursuing Openda as their top-priority target this summer, as they need a new striker to bolster their attacking force.
Upon his arrival, the club stated how delighted they are to finally sign him: “We are thrilled to announce the signing of Loïs Openda, a player who was a top priority on our list of transfer targets.”
RB Leipzig have been relentlessly pursuing their first Bundesliga title, making significant progress over the past fifteen years.
They have achieved four promotions and have finished in the top three of the German first-division league in four out of the last five seasons.
In the past two years, they have successfully won the DFB Pokal consecutively.
Additionally, during the 2019/20 season, they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, although they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain.
Leipzig acquired Openda to fill the significant void in their lineup following the departure of their striker Christopher Nkunku.
Nkunku, who impressively scored 23 goals in 36 games across all competitions last season has left Leipzig to join Chelsea for a fee of approximately €60 million ($66 million).
The new signing, Openda will not be a disappointment in filling Nkuku’s vacuum as the Belgian played a crucial role in RC Lens’ impressive performance in Ligue 1 last season.
The team finished just one point behind champions PSG and earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over 20 years.
With his dynamic attacking skillset, he becomes a lethal weapon that can be placed in any team’s attack.
The 23-year-old Belgian player topped the goalscoring charts for Lens with a total of 21 goals in the 2022/23 season.
Among these goals, he scored seven with his left foot, six with headers, and five with his right foot.
Who is Lois Openda?
Ikoma-Loïs Openda, born on 16 February 2000, is a talented Belgian professional footballer.
He currently serves as a striker for the esteemed Bundesliga club, RB Leipzig, and also represents the Belgium national team.
Lois Openda’s club career
Openda began his football career as a youth player for Patro Othee FC and RFC Liège. He later joined the youth academy of Standard Liège.
He joined the Academy of Club Brugge in 2015 before he made his senior debut in the Belgian Pro League against Kortrijk on 10 August 2018.
Thereafter, Openda signed a season-long loan deal with Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse on July 21, 2020.
On July 6, 2022, Lens announced the signing of Openda from Club Brugge for a five-year deal.
Openda has played 193 matches in his overall club career, scoring 64 goals and created 22 assists.
His international career
Openda was selected for the squad to participate in four UEFA Nations League matches on 3, 8, 10, and 13 June 2022.
The matches were against the Netherlands, Poland (twice), and Wales, respectively.
On September 13, 2022, he once again played against Wales in the UEFA Nations League.
He was officially included in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on November 10, 2022.
Openda has represented Belgium 9 times and netted two goals creating no assist.
