£35m transfer move confirms long-awaited Liverpool decision | OneFootball

Liverpool have long been dismissive of a potential Janaury transfer move, but it now appears as though the club has changed it's mind, and the consequences of their choice are going to be huge.

Finding the money to facilitate Arne Slot and the fans' wishes was always going to be tough, especially since owners FSG had already spent £450m in the summer. However, the additional context behind that transfer spend was that Liverpool recouped a lot of money from outgoings.

Not every position in need of recruitment was addressed and it's important for there to be an element of wiggle-room to allow for mid-season issues to be looked at - for example, the ACL injury that Giovanni Leoni suffered on his club-debut. It was impossible to have predicted that happening.

As such, the Reds appear to have reconsidered their position and a new signing is on the way.

Ordonez will become a Red

Several news outlets from South America are reporting that an agreement for Liverpool to sign Joel Ordonez, a £35m rated Ecuadorian centre-back from Club Brugge, is extremely close to completion.

Shop the LFC Store

LFC x adidas

Shop the home range today!

LFC x adidas

Shop the goalkeeper range today

LFC x adidas Third Kit

Shop the third kit range today!

The 21-year-old is highly sought after, and the club have been tracking his development for quite some time. In a report from Rousing The Kop on the interest in 2024, he was called 'outstanding'.

And two years later, Ordonez's reputation has only grown more favourably. He's played nearly 8000 minutes for the Belgian club over the past three seasons, which is an extraordinary workload for such a young player, and yet he's consistently delivered assured performances in their back-line.

The level of experience the South American has gained in such a short space of time is remarkable. Even though he's not played in the Premier League, he's already featured in the Champions League.

If he is to join Liverpool on a permanent deal, the Reds would then have four centre-back options available for the remainder of the season, as it's all-but confirmed that Leoni will not featured again.

When you look a little deeper into Ordonez's profile, it's clear that he's a right-centre-back, which means he'll likely interchange with Ibrahima Konate as Virgil Van Dijk's defensive partner. However, with Konate's future still up in their air, the move for the Ecuadorian might be a long-term plan.

There is still nothing to suggest that the Frenchman won't sign a new deal, but the closer he gets to leaving as a free agent, the harder it is to envision him playing at Anfield beyond the current season.

As such, you'd expect the defensive squadron to be re-jigged in some way, with the most likely outcome being that Konate will depart in time. Whether the decision to sign Ordonez is something that Liverpool have decided is necessary because of the Konate negotiations, or if it's the Frenchman unofficially clarifying his stance in contract talks, it feels as though the two are linked.

Of course, this is merely a theory, and Ordonez isn't currently going anywhere. The quantity of reports is vast, but none of the major UK-based media outlets have decided to confirm them yet.

Although if the current discourse is to be believed, then Liverpool have finally set their stall out.