Liverpool are now reportedly happy to sign a “complete” defender for more than £35m, seeing him as an alternative to Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.
The Reds will take on the Eagles and Guehi on Wednesday night in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, as they desperately look to get back to winning ways after a shocking run of form.
Liverpool’s failure to sign the 25-year-old on deadline day of the summer transfer window increasingly feels like a massive loss, with Arne Slot’s Premier League champions leaking goals at an alarming rate.
The hope is that Guehi remains a leading option for the Reds, whether that be in January or next summer, but it is clear that different options need to be lined up.
According to Bolavip [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are now willing to offer over £35m for Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, with his potential £2.6m-a-year wages at Anfield a “huge change” in his current earnings in Portugal.
Inter Milan are also believed to be interested in acquiring Ordonez’s signature, but they are unlikely to be able to table a similar bid to the Reds.
Ordonez a standout centre-back option for Liverpool
Ordonez is already a formidable centre-back, standing out as a key man for Brugge at the age of just 21, completing 95.1% of his passes across three Champions League appearances this season.
He has also averaged five clearances and three tackles per game in the competition, while scout Jacek Kulig has lauded him for being a “complete” player even at his young age:
“Joel Ordonez with another superb performance for Club Brugge this season. Such an impressively complete profile for a CB of his age. No doubt we’ll see him at a top club in one of the big five leagues sooner rather than later.”
With Ibrahima Konate’s future unclear, and a potential move to Real Madrid happening next summer, Liverpool could need to target both Ordonez and Guehi in 2026.
Virgil van Dijk also isn’t getting any younger, so rather than it being a case of one over the other, a double assault on the pair should be the preferred outcome for the Reds.
