Loïs Openda Joins Olympique Lyonnais on Loan from Juventus

Loïs Openda is on the move again. After just one season in Turin, the Belgian forward is set to swap Serie A for Ligue 1, with Olympique Lyonnais closing in on a straight loan deal from Juventus for the 2026-27 campaign.

No buy option. No obligation. Just a clean, one-year loan.

Multiple outlets, including Sky and Fabrizio Romano, report that Lyon will pay a fee of around €3m to take Openda for the season, a tidy piece of business for Juventus given the circumstances. Just as significant for the Italian club: Lyon are expected to cover his salary in full, easing Juve’s wage bill without the usual compromise of subsidised wages.

That detail matters. Earlier in the week, suggestions out of Italy hinted that Juventus might have to shoulder part of Openda’s pay packet to push the deal through. Instead, Lyon have stepped up, taking on the entire financial weight of the player for the year.

For Openda, it’s a reset button. His time in Turin has been brief and uneven, and the move to France offers a different stage and a different voice on the touchline. At Lyon, he will link up with Paulo Fonseca, the former Milan head coach tasked with reshaping a side that has been searching for a clear identity and sharper edge in attack.

A snapshot of his Juve stint came back in January at the Mapei Stadium, when Openda featured against Sassuolo in Serie A. Flashes of his pace and direct running were there, but never quite sustained often enough to lock down an undisputed starting role. Now, Lyon are betting that regular minutes and a system built to exploit his movement can unlock the player Juventus thought they were getting.

For Juve, the logic is simple. They retain full control of Openda’s future, avoid a cut-price sale, and potentially welcome back a more polished forward in a year’s time—or a more valuable asset in the transfer market.

For Lyon, it is a calculated gamble with clear upside. If Openda hits his stride in Ligue 1 under Fonseca, €3m for a season of high-octane attacking threat could look like one of the smarter pieces of business of the summer.