Tottenham have joined the race for Leipzig striker Lois Openda
Tottenham are ready to hijack Manchester United’s move for a Bundesliga attacker with 14 goals already this season, while an Old Trafford misfit looks like he could be bound for Germany and West Ham are still in the hunt for a former Premier League flop.
POSTECOGLOU WANTS LEIPZIG FORWARD AT TOTTENHAM
Tottenham are reportedly considering hijacking Manchester United’s proposed move for RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season at Lens last term, scoring 21 goals in 42 games and earning a €38m (£32.5m) plus add-ons switch to Leipzig in the process.
The versatile forward, who can play across the front three, has hit the ground running at the Red Bull Arena too. The Belgium has netted 14 times across 22 outings in all competitions so far.
Openda has particularly stood out in the Champions League, where three of his four goals have come against the competition holders Manchester City in the group stage.
Having already been strongly linked with a switch to United, reports now suggest that Openda’s impressive displays have caught the attention of Tottenham as well.
It’s common knowledge that Ange Postecoglou wants another striker on board in January, having failed to replace the club’s all-time greatest goalscorer over the summer.
Leipzig set to demand £75m for Openda
And it’s claimed that Spurs are ready to play a club-record fee to get their man, with Leipzig ready to demand as much as £75m for Openda next month.
The attacker certainly ticks a lot of boxes for Postecoglou, having the pace and power to put defences on alert and has been tipped to thrive in the Australian’s high-octane attacking style of play.
RB Leipzig lead Man City 👀
A long ball upfield which Lois Openda latches onto and finishes confidently 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/DI9487l4Li
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023
Tottenham are now expected to ramp up their pursuit of the player and give Postecoglou a dream front three that would include Son Heung-min on the left and either Dejan Kulusevski or Brennan Johnson on the right.
Add in a fit-again James Maddison in the No.10 role and Spurs could have some attack from January onwards in their battle for a top-four spot.
WEST HAM STILL PLOTTING WERNER SWOOP
West Ham are still eyeing RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner ahead of the January transfer window as he is ‘considering a change of scenery’. (Fussball Transfers)
Inter Milan are considering the opportunity to increase the pressure on Lille centre-back Tiago Djalo for a transfer as early as January. Newcastle have also been heavily linked with the defender. (Rudy Galetti)
Napoli have reached an agreement with Chelsea and Arsenal target Victor Osimhen. (Fabrizio Romano)
West Ham’s hopes of signing VfB Stuttgart’s Guinea forward Serhou Guirassy have taken a blow as Borussia Dortmund are also keen. (Bild)
AC Milan have made Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior a firm transfer target. (Calciomercato)
Wolves have been buoyed by the news that there is a clause in summer target Boulaye Dia’s Salernitana contract allowing him to be sold for €21m to a Premier League side in January. (Calciomercato)
FRANKFURT PUSHING TO SIGN MAN UTD MISFIT
Eintracht Frankfurt are working hard on a deal to sign Manchester United misfit Donny van de Beek on loan instead of a permanent move in January. (Kicker)
Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek
Benfica are leading the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham, Newcastle, West Ham, Wolves and Barcelona in the race to to sign Velez Sarsfield winger Gianluca Prestianni. (Various)
Nottingham Forest have a verbal agreement to sign Brazil and Fluminense defender Nino. (Florian Plettenberg)
Scouts from Arsenal and Liverpool watched 17-year-old Leeds United star Archie Gray in action against Sunderland this week. (Various)
Wolves have agreed a new deal for South Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan until June 2028 with an option for a further season. (Fabrizio Romano)
Crystal Palace are preparing an offer for Juventus star Matias Soule, who is also a target for Tottenham and Newcastle, in January. (Corriere Dello Sport)
Salernitana president Danilo Iervolino has given an explosive press conference, stating that ‘many players want to leave’ the club after their disastrous start to the season. (Football Italia)
