Liverpool appear to have been given renewed hope with their prospects of signing one reported transfer target this summer.
In March 2025, we exclusively reported on Empire of the Kop that scouts from Anfield had been assigned to a Champions League fixture featuring Club Brugge to observe Joel Ordoñez, who later became strongly linked with the Reds just before the January transfer window.
The Ecuador international told Gazet Van Antwerpen in March that he supported LFC in his childhood, further fuelling speculation over a potential swoop from the 20-time English champions.
In a report for the the Daily Briefing on Saturday morning (via CaughtOffside), Mark Brus outlined that Liverpool are ‘seriously considering’ a summer move for the 22-year-old, having ‘previously cooled their interest’, and his club may now be open to the possibility of cashing in on him.
The transfer insider explained: ‘While Brugge have been determined to keep hold of Ordonez, they now seem prepared to cash in on the Ecuador international if they receive a fee in the region of €45m [£38.8m].
‘I’ve been told his availability could also put the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Juventus on alert, but Spurs and Liverpool are the main names to watch for now.’
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Although The Athletic reported this week that Anfield ‘sources currently stress that they have bigger priorities to address’ in the squad, Liverpool Echo journalist Paul Gorst has implored the club to sign another centre-back this summer, following the exit of Ibrahima Konate.
The apparent willingness of Club Brugge to do a deal for the right price seems to have given the Reds fresh hope of snapping up Ordonez, who’s likely to start for Ecuador at the World Cup and set to come up against LFC-linked Yan Diomande when they face Ivory Coast in their first game.
The 22-year-old has played at a high level with his club in the Champions League, and the figures below (via Fotmob) mark him out as a lightning-quick defender who’s adept at playing out from the back and clearing danger, albeit that he ranks below average for several other key performance metrics.
A fee of just under £40m for a centre-back of his age profile and European experience would seem reasonable for Liverpool to explore, especially with Konate leaving, and at the very least Richard Hughes ought to be sounding out the Ecuadorian about a potential move to Anfield.
It’ll be compelling to see how he performs at the World Cup for a defence which conceded a miserly five goals in 18 qualifying matches, particularly when his side face Florian Wirtz and Germany in their final group game later this month.
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Liverpool should sign Joel Ordonez. The club seriously needs an experienced, strong and reliable right-back. He is rarely injured. Others could back him as available backups whenever the need arises.
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