Loïs Openda is close to swapping Juventus for Olympique Lyon on a temporary deal. Various outlets, including transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, report that all parties have reached a verbal agreement over a loan move for the former Vitesse striker.
Olympique Lyon are set to pay a loan fee of around €3 million. The French club will also cover the full salary of the 25-year-old forward.
Crucially, the agreement does not include an option to buy. Earlier reports had suggested a possible purchase clause, but according to Romano and Fabrice Hawkins, that is not the case.
Openda had already given the green light to the move to Lyon a few days ago. The Belgian is due to undergo his medical next week, after which the transfer can be finalised.
For Openda, it is a return to Ligue 1. The forward enjoyed an excellent year with RC Lens in the 2022/23 season, scoring 21 goals in the French league.
Those goals played a big part in Lens' surprise second-place finish. The French club had signed him permanently a year earlier after he had spent two seasons on loan at Vitesse.
His spell at Juventus turned into a major disappointment. The Italians signed him on loan from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2025 for €3.3 million, with an obligation to buy for around €40 million.
That hefty investment brought little return: Openda scored only 2 goals in 34 competitive matches last season. The 33-cap Belgium international was also largely limited to substitute appearances and never managed to force his way into a regular starting place in Turin.