Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in signing RB Leipzig striker Loïs Openda in the summer transfer window.
Villa’s president of business operations, Monchi, is understood to have been exploring a number of attacking options. Evann Guessand and Donyell Malen can both deputise for Ollie Watkins but the departures of Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey mean they will be needed in wider spots too.
Consequently, Villa are still pursuing a possible loan move for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson and have been eyeing up Openda too, according to reports.
Chelsea want big money for Jackson, who is well known to Villa manager Unai Emery, but it’s believed a loan could be made to work for all parties, should the appetite be there to do so.
Openda would be a less expensive alternative to a permanent move for Jackson but the Belgian international is still most likely too costly this summer. He has three years left on his contract and Villa’s financial constraints make a move less likely.
The 25-year-old striker has been part of RB Leipzig’s squad since the summer of 2023. He has made 91 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 41 goals and clocking up 18 assists in all competitions in his time in Germany.
There have been question marks over Openda’s consistency but he managed double figures for both goals and assists in his 45 appearances in 2024/25.
But his best season in Germany was his first. Openda showed huge promise in 2023/24, when the Liege-born forward scored 28 goals in all competitions to help Leipzig finish fourth in the final Bundesliga table and secure qualification for the Champions League.
He attracted Leipzig’s attention with a stellar season for Lens in 2022/23. They finished second in France’s Ligue 1 and Openda was a prolific contributor.
He is a Belgium international with 27 caps to his name, scoring three goals and providing two assists since making his international debut for the Red Devils in 2022.
It has been reported that Villa are keen on the Leipzig forward but would face competition from newly promoted Premier League side Sunderland if they were to make their move.
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