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Lois Openda and Séko Fofana, key figures in RC Lens' return to the Champions League, have left the French club.They have been transferred to Leipzig and Al Nassr respectively for 40 and 25 million euros, the two biggest sales for the Sang et Or.
Cheikh Doucouré's record only lasted a year. Last summer, the Malian defensive midfielder helped RC Lens achieve the biggest sale in their history. The 23-year-old joined Crystal Palace (England) for the sum of 22.6 million euros. One year on, the Eagles of Mali remain on the podium of RC Lens' biggest transfers, but have been relegated to 3rd place. The Sang et Or have just recouped almost double their transfer fee for letting Lois Openda go to RB Leipzig. The German club paid 40 million euros (excluding bonuses) for the Belgian striker. An all-time record for Lens.
Second place in RC Lens' best-seller list is now occupied by Séko Fofana. The Ivorian, a tireless presence in midfield, joined AL Nassr for 25 million euros. In 2020, the Lens management had paid just 8 million euros to attract the former Udinese player. The capital gain on the 28-year-old could have been higher, given that the Ivorian is one of the best players in Ligue 1. But Lens must surely have remembered that Fofana could have left for free last summer, but decided to prolong his adventure when the whole of Europe was at his feet.
More than 21 years after leaving RC Lens for Liverpool, Senegal's El Hadji Diouf is still one of the club's top 5 best-sellers.After a great World Cup in 2002, the two-time African Ballon d'Or winner left the Sang et Or for the Reds for 15 million euros. A record at the time. Today, he is 5th in the top 10. The top 10 also includes two other Africans: Senegalese midfielder Pape Bouba Diop and young Cameroonian defender Christopher Wooh. The former, who died in 2020, was also transferred to England after a fine 2002 World Cup. Fulham acquired him for 9 million euros. The same amount Rennes spent on Wooh.
RC Lens' 10 biggest sales
1st Lois Openda (RB Leipzig): 40 million euros
2nd Séko Fofana (to AL Nassr): 25 million euros
3rd Cheikh Doucouré (to Crystal Palace): €22.6 million
4th Loic Badé (Rennes): 17 million euros
5th El Hadji Diouf (Liverpool): 15 million euros
6th Raphael Varane (Real Madrid): 11 million euros
7th Stéphane Dalmat (Marseille): €10.6 million
8th Olivier Dacourt (Leeds): 10.5 million euros
9th Christopher Wooh (Rennes): 9 million euros
10th Pape Bouba Diop (Fulham): €9 million
