Liverpool
Premier League • England
Liverpool ‘very hot’ for striker who’s punished title rivals three times already this season
Liverpool target Lois Openda
A Belgian reporter has suggested that Liverpool are among a number of Premier League clubs interested in RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda.
On Tuesday, Openda scored both of RB Leipzig’s goals in their Champions League defeat to Manchester City. The month before, he also scored their only goal in the reverse fixture, which also ended in defeat for his side.
And as Liverpool continue their quest to construct a squad capable of beating Man City in the Premier League title race, Openda has potentially become a target at Anfield.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, the Premier League market is ‘very hot’ for Openda and Liverpool are the only club to be namechecked in his tweet.
It was only earlier this year that RB Leipzig even signed Openda, parting with €38.5m to buy him from Lens.
The French club were able to double their money on Openda after just one season and if he keeps up his current form, RB Leipzig must be wondering what kind of profit they could turn on him.
It has previously been indicated that an €80m release clause will become active in his contract in 2025.
Openda, who has represented Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League and Vitesse in the Dutch Eredivisie before, has already scored 13 goals from 20 appearances for his new club, as well as providing three assists.
Mainly a centre-forward, he could put pressure on the inconsistent Darwin Nunez for a place in the Liverpool attack if Jurgen Klopp was able to lure him to Merseyside.
Nunez is one of Liverpool’s most expensive signings of all time, but the former Benfica hitman has sometimes stood out for the wrong reasons by missing big chances.
The Uruguay international has underperformed his expected goals tally this season by 3.36, whereas Openda has scored 1.07 goals more than his xG, which indicates he is being more clinical and reliable in front of goal.
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His goal output might also help plug any gap left by Mohamed Salah if Liverpool’s leading scorer this season is eventually prised away by the Saudi Pro League.
That said, Openda is more of a central attacker and he is also right-footed, which means Liverpool would lack any left-footed forwards (other than Harvey Elliott if he was to be used there) in the event of Salah leaving.
Connection between Liverpool and RB Leipzig could continue
Liverpool already did business with RB Leipzig in the summer when they pounced to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, who has made a positive impression in their evolving midfield.
They also took Ibrahima Konate from the Bundesliga side back in 2021 to reinforce their defence, and midfielder Naby Keita – who left Liverpool when his contract expired in the summer – in 2018.
Openda could follow in the footsteps of those players, but Liverpool are unlikely to be the Belgium international’s only admirers.
Although Tavolieri has not named anyone else, other sources have previously put the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the frame.
Both of those clubs signed strikers for the long term in the summer, but while Rasmus Hojlund and Nicolas Jackson hone their skills, they each might need more proven talent.
Openda himself is only 23 years old, but has earned Champions League experience and has shown his quality in two of Europe’s top five leagues, thanks to his 21-goal haul in Ligue 1 for Lens last season – bettered only by three players in the whole division – and his current form for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.