Juventus are watching two very different revival stories unfold beyond Turin, with Jonathan David at Atletico Madrid and Lois Openda at Lyon representing potential exits worth more than €50 million in all. After a difficult season in black and white, both forwards have found reasons to believe their time away can reshape the club’s plans for next summer.
Neither striker convinced Luciano Spalletti during the previous campaign. David finished with eight goals and five assists across 46 appearances, while Openda managed only two goals in 37 outings. Those figures fell well short of the expectations attached to their arrivals and left Juventus with two expensive attacking investments in need of a new direction.
David settles quickly in Madrid
David has made the sharper start. The Canadian centre-forward joined Atletico Madrid on loan with a €25 million purchase option and has already put himself in contention for La Liga’s September player-of-the-month award. Whether he wins it or not, his early impact has suggested that he is adapting more smoothly to Diego Simeone’s side than he did in Italy.
The 25-year-old admitted that his Juventus experience had tested him. “Last season was very hard for me,” David said. “I struggled to adapt to Italian football. At a club like Juventus, it is difficult because there is no time to settle in.”
For Juventus, a sustained run of form in Madrid would make the €25 million clause increasingly realistic. The club have seen a similar situation before with Nico Gonzalez, whose option was closer to €32 million. Atletico’s summer proposal to keep the Argentine permanently reached only €25 million, and Juventus may now feel that retaining him was beneficial given his current contribution under Spalletti.
Openda’s Lyon loan carries greater uncertainty
Openda’s temporary move to Lyon does not include a fixed purchase price, leaving Juventus without the same clarity over a possible permanent sale. The Belgian has already matched his entire Juventus goal return with two goals in France and has also returned to the national-team picture after his recent performances.
Speaking about his difficulties in Turin, Openda pointed to the competition he faced up front. He said he had spoken to Damien Comolli, then Juventus chief executive, and had been told the club intended to use him regularly. “I had no issue with the coach,” he explained, but added that David and Dusan Vlahovic were ahead of him in the attacking group. He felt David was a complementary partner, while claiming that Vlahovic often kept possession for himself.
A permanent deal with Lyon will be harder to arrange. Juventus will need to negotiate a fee from scratch, and Openda is expected to carry a book value of between €32 million and €33 million next year. Lyon would be unlikely to reach that level unless the forward produces an exceptional season between now and the spring.
There is still encouragement in Juventus’s recent experience with Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian, after a first season in Turin disrupted by injuries and the challenge of adapting, returned from his loan spell involving Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa looking more confident and refreshed.
At Continassa, however, the preferred outcome next summer remains clear: convert David’s Atletico option into a permanent transfer and find a definitive solution for Openda as well. Juventus have more than €50 million of value tied up in the two forwards, and their recoveries abroad could become an important part of the club’s next squad rebuild.
