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El Chadaille Bitshiabu to Lens

This move fell through. Last report: Benjamin Quarez, 29 August 2026.

Lens and RB Leipzig are still talking about El Chadaille Bitshiabu, and the shape of the deal is clear. This is a loan, with the discussions centred on how the wages get split between the two clubs. The 21-year-old France defender is under contract at Leipzig until June 2029, so nobody is forcing a permanent exit here. What matters is that the player himself is keen: Bitshiabu has already spoken several times with Dino Toppmöller and is described as excited by the move. The reporting comes from Benjamin Quarez, a strong and reliable voice on French transfer business. This is a single high-credibility source rather than a chorus, so treat it as a well-placed insider account rather than a done deal splashed across several outlets. The detail he offers, the wage-sharing element in particular, reads like someone genuinely close to the talks. The chance here is a good one. Both clubs are engaged, the structure is agreed in principle, and the player wants it, which removes the usual sticking point. What is left to settle is the money side of the loan, specifically how much salary Lens takes on. That is the piece holding this up, but it is the kind of gap that clubs bridge when everyone wants the same outcome. Bitshiabu already knows this route well, having joined Leipzig from PSG for €15m. Lens have shopped in this range before, bringing in players from Club Brugge for €15m in 2022 and Basel for €14m in 2023. The scale fits their pattern. Watch for the wage split being finalised, then a medical booked to confirm the loan.

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