Who is Lois Openda? The RB Leipzig hitman Tottenham are battling Man Utd for

Lois Openda is a Belgian striker currently contracted to RB Leipzig, whose maiden season in Germany has elevated him into the European limelight and seen Tottenham Hotspur rival Manchester United for his signing.

On Tuesday, sources confirmed to TEAMtalk that Manchester United are keen on Openda, as the Red Devils look to reinforce their attacking options.

Rasmus Hojlund made the big-money switch to England from Italian side Atalanta after just one year in Bergamo and Openda could follow suit, joining the Red Bulls from French side RC Lens this summer for around £35million.

However, Man Utd are not the only English team pursuing Openda. Earlier on Thursday, it emerged that Tottenham are aiming to sign him first, with Ange Postecoglou a huge fan.

Any sale would represent fantastic business from the German side, easily doubling what they bought the Belgian for in 12 months.

Openda has been in electric form for Leipzig this campaign, making 23 appearances in all competitions, scoring on 14 occasions and registering three assists in that period, keeping out the likes of Timo Werner, Yussuf Poulsen and Benjamin Sesko and becoming Marco Rose’s go-to frontman.

Openda’s career so far

Born in Liege, Belgium, Openda is of Moroccan and Congolese descent.

In his youth career, Openda represented Patro Othee FC and RFC Liege before making the move to Standard Liege’s academy in 2013 where he would spend two years before eventually making the move to Club Brugge’s academy in 2015.

He made his senior debut in August 2018 in the Belgian Pro League against Kortrijk, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute.

In July 2020, Openda made a loan switch to Dutch outfit Vitesse for the season, where he would ignite his career, scoring 13 and assisting five more in 38 total appearances for the club who would go on to record a fourth-place finish and put themselves in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.

The following season he re-joined Vitesse on loan, this time bettering his total output, scoring 24 and assisting six in 50 total appearances for the club.

His performances alerted French club RC Lens to take note, who acquired Openda for around £12million on a five-year contract in July 2022.

Openda’s one and only season in France was fruitful, as he netted 21 and assisting a further five, playing in all 38 of Lens’ league matches. They were just pipped to the title by Paris Saint-Germain by one point but in the process qualified for Europe for the first time in over 20 years.

German juggernauts RB Leipzig, who have been lauded for their exceptional recruitment over the years, signed Openda for around £35million, with bonuses taking the overall fee in the region of £40million.

After representing his nation in all youth levels from U16 to U21, the attacker has so far played for Belgium on 14 occasions, scoring twice.

What is Openda like as a player?

Standing at 1.77m (5ft 10in), Openda is not renowned for his aerial presence but instead his ability to come alive in the box.

Last season for Lens, the 23-year-old averaged just 25.5 touches per 90 minutes, which put him in the bottom 10 per cent of forwards in Ligue 1, though crucially he averaged 0.72 non-penalty goals per 90, only behind a certain Kylian Mbappe in France’s top-flight.

He was one of only five Ligue 1 players to take more than 100 shots last season, with the bulk of those coming inside the penalty area, showing his ability to get shots off in dangerous areas.

Openda also averaged 3.7 shots per 90 and 6.9 touches per shot which was the third fewest in Europe’s top five leagues, behind only Erling Haaland and Victor Osimhen.

His range of finishes is remarkable as well, last season scoring eight with his left, eight with his right and six with his head, despite only being 5ft 10in, highlighting his strength in the air.

Whereas for Lens Openda would get on the end of the wing-back’s crosses, for Leipzig he is scoring in slightly different ways, adapting seamlessly to the new system which surrounds him.

For Leipzig, Openda tends to get in behind the opposition defence, using his lightning pace to beat the defenders in a foot race before finding himself in a one versus one with the keeper, more often than not scoring. He has recorded the ninth fastest sprint speed in the Bundesliga so far this campaign.

Where will Openda go?

Openda only signed for Leipzig less than six months ago, but his output for the German title contenders has thrust him truly into the spotlight.

His excellent goal record wherever he has gone is a clear indicator in his ability to adapt to different environments with relative ease.

With a reported release clause of around £70million available to trigger from the summer of 2025, Leipzig may have to brace themselves for the departure of their Belgian star, with Man Utd known to be keen on adding Openda to their ranks in the hope of fixing their attacking woes.

Hojlund has yet to register a goal in the Premier League for the Red Devils, though has impressed in the Champions League, scoring five goals in six games as United crashed out of Europe on Tuesday after a 1-0 home defeat to Bayern, finishing bottom of their group behind FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray.

Anthony Martial is out of contract at the end of this season and is unlikely to be offered a new deal, which means his Old Trafford spell could be coming to an end.

Openda would add real competition and quality to the United front line as Erik ten Hag hopes to reshape his side for years to come, and he could do a lot worse than adding Openda to his attacking options.

Already representing the Belgian Red Devils at national level, it may not be long before we see him represent the Red Devils in Manchester.

Although, Spurs look set to put up a serious fight for the in-form star.