Loïs Openda's move to Juventus has been made permanent, with the Italian club paying RB Leipzig a fee reported at around €40.6m, rising to roughly €42.75m with add-ons. The Belgium international has signed a contract at Juventus running until 2030.
The switch actually dates back to last September, when Juventus signed Openda on a deadline-day loan with an obligation to buy, having missed out on their initial target Randal Kolo Muani. That obligation was tied to Juventus finishing in the top half of Serie A this season. Juventus secured Champions League qualification with games to spare, comfortably clearing the threshold and triggering the permanent deal.
Juventus moved for Openda last summer because he arrived with a proven scoring record from the Bundesliga and offered something different to the strikers already at the club: real pace to run in behind defences, plus the versatility to play through the middle or off the left. He was seen as competition and cover for Dušan Vlahović, and as a more mobile alternative to lead the line.
RB Leipzig lose a forward who had become one of their most reliable attacking threats over two seasons in Germany, scoring nine league goals and adding five assists in the 2024-25 Bundesliga campaign. Leipzig's sporting director Marcel Schäfer said at the time of the original move that Openda had "made a name for himself over the last two years at RB Leipzig due to his many crucial goals and assists", adding the club were "very grateful" for his performances and wished him well in Italy.
His first season in Turin, though, did not go to plan. Openda managed only two goals in all competitions for Juventus and gradually fell out of head coach Luciano Spalletti's plans as the campaign wore on, with his game time shrinking to occasional late cameos in the second half of the season. It was a marked drop-off from the form that made him one of the Bundesliga's most dangerous forwards.
With the transfer now permanent, Openda's long-term role at Juventus is far from settled. He faces stiff competition for a starting spot from Vlahović, Jonathan David and Kenan Yıldız, and reports in Italy suggest the club may already be weighing up loaning him out or selling him on this summer despite having just paid for him outright. For now, he is contracted at Juventus, but where he actually plays his football next season remains an open question.