Racing Club de Lens is about to complete a major operation in its summer transfer window.
After a historic season marked by a runner-up place behind Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, Racing Club de Lens is at the dawn of a campaign as thrilling as it is perilous. Franck Haise’s team will try to represent French football with panache in the prestigious Champions League. An XXL challenge that the Sang et Or will tackle with a remodeled workforce.
True to its recruitment strategy, RC Lens has anticipated to attract profiles who will manage to blend into its well-oiled collective. But in terms of departures, too, this transfer window is very busy for the artesian club. While captain Seko Fofana has been announced leaving for Saudi Arabia, it is another senior player who is about to leave the ship.
A record transfer for Lens
As anticipated, Loïs Openda will no longer wear the Sang et Or tunic next season. L’Equipe confirms this Thursday that Racing Club de Lens and RB Leipzig have found common ground for the final transfer of the Belgian centre-forward. The operation should bring compensation of 43 million euros to Lens. A sum to which would be added bonuses capped at €6 million and a hefty percentage on the resale of the player.
This deal would be a record sale for Lens, which has never sold a player for such compensation in its history. The club’s top scorer last season, Openda (21 goals) was one of the great architects of the Blood and Gold epic. The rating of the Belgian striker exploded thanks to his second half of the season, where he took on another dimension. He was linked to Lens until 2027 and had made no secret of his desire to join the Redbull club.
