Openda suffers fibula fracture, future uncertain at Lyon or Juventus
The Belgian striker Lois Openda, strongly wanted by former Milan coach Fabio Fonseca, has been forced to stop due to a fracture of his right fibula, which will keep him out at least until the international break in mid‑November.
Openda's season at Lyon had started well: the striker, arriving on loan from Juventus, had found new energy, until the injury forced him into the box.
Let's see what his situation is a few days before his return to the pitch and what to expect regarding his future.
Loan conditions
Openda arrived at Lyon on a costly dry loan, €3 million to Juventus and salary (€4 million net) covered by the French club until the end of the year.
The former Lens player managed to make a good impact in a team that also revived the Milan‑trained Athekame, also on a dry loan.
In particular, the first appearances were excellent, ending with a goal in the first Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahçe and in the first league match against Le Havre, providing an assist in the next game against Auxerre.
Then the Turks managed to relegate OL to the Europa League and Openda added another seven appearances without getting on the scoresheet.
Injury and unavailability
Medical examinations revealed a fracture of the right fibula, Lyon explained, announcing that the player would be unavailable at least until the international break in mid‑November, the one currently underway.
In the meantime, the team has recorded 2 wins and 2 losses in the league and 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss in the Europa League, a competition in which Openda earned a token in the first match against Anderlecht, a game won 2‑1 but without goals or decisive passes for the striker.
The biggest change has occurred on the bench: Fonseca recently left his post to accept the Sporting Lisbon job, replacing Rui Borges and leaving Lyon in the hands of Carlos Vicens, a Spanish coach who was part of Guardiola’s staff at Manchester City and who coached Sporting Braga.
“I had no problems with the coach but in attack there were David and Vlahovic: I was complementary to the first, but the second always kept the ball for himself,” the striker explained recently.
“I am a striker who exploits depth, but in Italy, to exploit these qualities, there is Inter and, to some extent, now Roma, which has begun to understand the importance of this aspect,” Openda added.
If everything goes as hoped, Openda could be among the selected for the first Ligue 1 match after the break, on 21 November against Lille.
At the moment there is not much optimism about his stay at Lyon once the 2026/27 season is over.
He will certainly return to being a Juventus player at least formally, since the loan is a dry one, but it is also unlikely that Lyon will step forward to negotiate a second deal with the aim of signing him permanently, something that could cost more than €20 million in the summer of 2027.
Openda, in fact, cost €40 million when he was taken from Leipzig, and the only viable option this summer to move him was precisely the loan, which covered the amortisation costs for 2025/26, roughly €10 million.