The way is CLEAR for Liverpool to complete £35m centre-back deal | OneFootball

Liverpool have been tipped to shake up their central defensive options over the next few transfer windows.

We could see Ibrahima Konate move on at the end of the season while the futures of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will be settled in 2027 when their contracts end.

The Reds made plans for a centre-back revamp as early as last summer when Giovanni Leoni was acquired from Parma. The teenager cost £26m - but disaster struck when he was ruled out for the season with an ACL tear.

Sporting director Richard Hughes also tried to buy Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace but the deal fell apart at the last minute.

Liverpool's centre-back shortage

Premier League champions Liverpool have been left short of options since then and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them move for a new face in January.

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And now a new report from Ecuador claims that Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez is a favourite to arrive.

Liverpool will have to pay attention to interest in the Ecuadorian international from Inter but the Anfield club are now frontrunners to land him since Chelsea dropped out of the running.

Liverpool are frontrunners for Joel Ordonez

“Liverpool is currently the frontrunner to sign him, however, another club has now entered the race,” a report on BOLAVIP reads.

“Ordóñez was very keen to join Chelsea, even making it his priority for 2026. However, the Blues withdrew from negotiations and are now emerging as a contender to sign him. This cleared the way for Liverpool to ultimately secure his signature.”

Ordonez has been a mainstay for Belgian giants Brugge since arriving from Independiente del Valle in 2022 - firstly starring for Club NXT before stepping into the first-team picture a year later.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joel Ordóñez (@joel_ordonez04)

Liverpool to pay £35m for Joel Ordonez

The defender is a regular in the Belgian Pro League as well as the Champions League - with Liverpool reportedly holding a long-standing interest.

Under contract until 2029 - it has been reported that the Reds will have to pay €40m (£35m) to land the stopper.

“Joel Ordóñez currently has a market value of €28 million. The Ecuadorian defender could join a new team for over €40 million, potentially becoming one of the most expensive transfers in the club's history and in the Belgian league,” the report continues.

This is a very interesting development - as the transfer window opens on January 1. Liverpool could therefore have a new option available to them in a matter of days - shoring up a problem area for Arne Slot.