Juventus Transfer Market: Luciano Spalletti Spills the Beans on Lois Openda
Juventus Transfer News: Lois Openda is effectively a former Bianconeri player, at least for this season. Despite a severe lack of options up front, Luciano Spalletti decided not to start him against Standard Liège, opting instead for the young players Durmisi, Licina, and Adzic, and at the end of the match (a 1-0 win), he effectively bid farewell to the Belgian, who will move on loan to Lyon, but without an option to buy.
“He’s an exceptional young man and professional,” Spalletti told ‘Sky Sport’ about Openda. “First and foremost, we need to wish him the very best of luck in this new chapter of his life. We wish him all the best. We probably weren’t able to get the most out of him at Juventus. That said, we’re aware that the transfer market is often full of challenges. But I’m close to the front office; I’ve known them for many years and I know they’re constantly looking for solutions for us.”
The numbers from his time with Juventus speak for themselves: just one goal in twenty-four appearances—a meager tally for a player signed from Leipzig last summer for a fee close to 45 million euros. An investment that turned out to be a resounding flop, with the Belgian’s transfer value plummeting to around 20 million, a figure that has nonetheless failed to attract any offers for a permanent transfer. The arrangement reached with Lyon—a paid loan of 3 million euros, with the French club covering his entire gross salary of 7.5 million—is therefore the most cost-effective solution Juventus could hope for at this time.
The hope of the Juventus management is that Openda will regain his form and consistency in Ligue 1, thereby increasing his market value, which currently weighs heavily on the club’s finances. It is no coincidence that Lyon was cited as the player’s preferred destination in recent weeks, when Monaco and Coventry—which was newly promoted to the Premier League after a 25-year absence from England’s top flight—had also expressed interest in him.
Openda’s departure, however, leaves Juventus in a full-blown emergency situation up front. Spalletti will also have to do without Jeff Ekhator, the new signing from Genoa who suffered a hamstring injury in the friendly against Basel and will be sidelined for at least four weeks. In this context, the front office is working on multiple fronts: there is a draft agreement with Mateo Pellegrino’s representatives for a five-year deal worth 2 million per season, while talks have resumed regarding Joshua Zirkzee, a player they’ve tracked in the past whom Manchester United might decide to sell if a substantial offer comes in.
The Dusan Vlahovic situation also remains open. The Serbian forward, a free agent since June 30, is reported to have received a concrete offer from Besiktas — a three-year deal worth 13.5 million per season, with Vincenzo Italiano acting as a sponsor — but the chances of him moving to Turkey appear to be dwindling, as Napoli has re-entered the fray in recent hours. Juventus, for its part, would not be willing to go beyond 6.5 million euros per season to bring him back to the team, a figure still far from the player’s demands.
