Inter could use Aleksandar Stankovic in move for Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez | OneFootball

Inter’s search for a young, powerful, and long-term defensive investment has led them to Club Brugge’s Ecuadorian defender, Joel Ordonez. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 21-year-old is a primary target for the Nerazzurri’s future defensive structure.

Ordoñez is considered the ideal profile for Inter’s new market policy, which favors long-term investments over excessively expensive transfer fees. The club views him as a potential successor to aging defenders Francesco Acerbi and Stefan De Vrij, both of whom are expected to depart next summer.

The Stanković Strategy

Securing Ordoñez will be challenging, as Club Brugge is known for its tough negotiating stance and rarely lowers its asking price. The Ecuadorian recently extended his contract until 2029, meaning any deal will likely start from a valuation of at least €25 million.

However, Inter has a potential piece of leverage in negotiations: the future of Aleksandar Stankovic. The son of former Inter player Dejan Stanković, the 20-year-old is currently at Club Brugge and is performing well. He joined them permanently from Inter in the summer.

The report suggests that Inter may decide to postpone Stanković’s return to the club base in order to gain preferential treatment (“corsia preferenziale”) for the acquisition of Ordoñez. This move would essentially use the highly-rated young midfielder to sweeten the deal and potentially lower the transfer fee for the coveted defender.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN