Germany-Nigeria forward Kennedy Okpala has joined Dynamo Dresden from SC Paderborn on a season-long loan.
The 21-year-old centre-forward will remain with the 2. Bundesliga club until 30 June 2027, when the agreement ends and he is due to return to Paderborn. The move was completed on 1 September 2026, with no loan fee disclosed.
Okpala arrives after spending the first part of his senior career with Paderborn, who signed him from SV Waldhof Mannheim for €550,000 in January 2026. His transfer to Dresden represents a move from a Bundesliga club to the second tier for the 2026-27 season.
Born in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Okpala has German and Nigerian nationality. He plays primarily as a centre-forward, is right-footed and stands 1.85m tall. With Dynamo Dresden, he will wear the number seven shirt.
The striker began his senior career at Waldhof Mannheim after progressing through the club’s under-17 and under-19 sides. He made the move into senior football in August 2023, before helping Mannheim win the Baden Cup during the 2025-26 campaign.
Okpala’s spell at Paderborn was brief, lasting less than eight months before his temporary switch to Dresden. The transfer gives him a change of club for the new campaign while his registration remains tied to Paderborn.
His market value is recorded at €1.5m, the same figure attached to his move from Mannheim earlier in 2026. Paderborn’s agreement with Dynamo Dresden includes a scheduled return at the end of the loan, rather than a permanent transfer.
Dynamo Dresden have therefore added a young forward to their squad for the current second-tier season, while Paderborn retain his rights beyond the campaign.
Okpala has completed his loan move from SC Paderborn to Dynamo Dresden, with the deal running until 30 June 2027.