MX23RW : Saturday, May 18 19:37:31| >> :60:121:121:

Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool dealt blow in Lois Openda pursuit?

Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool dealt blow in Openda pursuit?
© Reuters
Lois Openda is reportedly unlikely to leave RB Leipzig in January, despite interest from Premier League trio Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of Belgium international Lois Openda.

RB Leipzig only signed the Belgian during the summer for a reported fee of £37.1m, after he had impressed with Lens last season.

Openda was one of the most prolific strikers in Ligue 1 during the 2022/23 campaign, and his 21 league goals contributed massively to the club's second-placed finish.

That saw Lens end their two-decade wait to qualify for the Champions League again, but the French club sold up after receiving such a big offer from Leipzig.

The Bundesliga side were on the hunt for a new attacker for much of the year, after terms were agreed early for Christopher Nkunku to join Chelsea.

Openda has since arrived and made an instant impact with Die Roten Bullen, scoring five goals already, including strikes against Bayern Munich, Manchester City and high-flying Bayer Leverkusen.

RB Leipzig's Lois Openda celebrates scoring their first goal on October 4, 2023© Reuters

That form has seen rumours surface that Premier League clubs may be in for the 23-year-old when the transfer window reopens in January.

However, after selling numerous key players over the summer, Football Insider claims that Leipzig will fend off interest for any more of their key players for the time being.

Nkunku was among a trio of big names that departed the Red Bull Arena, along with Josko Gvardiol and Dominik Szoboszlai, with all three moving to the Premier League.

The French attacker has not yet featured for Chelsea in a competitive fixture though, after suffering a serious injury in pre-season.

Even though the recent news that Nicolas Jackson undergoing surgery is not for any kind of serious injury, Chelsea will still be expected to dip into the market for another forward this January.

Leipzig have no need to sell so soon though, considering that Openda signed a five-year deal with the club when joining in the summer.

ID:526153:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3787:

Lois Openda future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Lois Openda

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol pictured during the warm up before the match on March 14, 2023
Read Next:
Manchester City planning Josko Gvardiol move?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City37277393336088
2Arsenal37275589286186
3Liverpool372310484414379
4Aston Villa37208976562068
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs371961271611063
6Chelsea371791175621360
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371761481602157
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd37176145558-357
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton371212135560-548
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!