Liverpool ‘on verge of £43m signing’ due to be finalised ‘in days’ after Chelsea ‘withdraw’ decision | OneFootball

According to reports, Liverpool are ‘on the verge’ of completing their first signing of 2026 after Chelsea decided to ‘withdraw from the race’.

Liverpool had a remarkable summer transfer window, spending over £400m on signings in a major squad overhaul after winning their 20th Premier League title.

Head coach Arne Slot was given a huge budget to build his own team after getting the best out of Jurgen Klopp’s squad, with massive fees spent on acquiring Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.

However, it is now clear that the Reds made too many changes in a single window as performances and results have hugely declined this term, with Slot’s side exiting the title race before the New Year.

Liverpool have recovered in recent weeks as Slot has made changes to make his side more solid, but they still require upgrades in certain positions this year.

This is particularly the case at centre-back after they missed out on Marc Guehi in the summer, with at least one new reinforcement needed in this department.

It has been widely reported that Liverpool remain in the running to sign Guehi at some point this year, but they are also linked with possible alternatives.

Earlier this week, a report claimed Liverpool are the ‘frontrunner’ to sign Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez. 

Now, a report from a British newspaper claims Liverpool are ‘set to sign’ Ordonez in a deal worth around £43m after Chelsea opted to end their interest.

The report claims: ‘Liverpool are set to seal a deal worth up to £43million for Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez in the next couple of days.

‘Ecuador international Ordonez, 21, is poised to join the Reds after Chelsea withdrew from the race. The initial fee for the centre back will be in the region of £35m, but add-ons could take the final cost much higher.’

Regarding Guehi, former Liverpool player Jason McAteer hs explained why they should have prioritised him in the summer.

He explained to AceOdds: “Marc Guehi is 100% a player I would like at Liverpool, and I would have liked him to come in before Isak. I think once Ekitike was done, I think Liverpool needed to strengthen their squad elsewhere.”

“I don’t think the striker area was an area where they needed to spend £120 million. Listen, I get it.

“Players come around and you may just get one opportunity, because other teams would look at Isak thinking he could be a reinforcement in January getting their team over the line. So, you could have missed out on Isak, but they already had Ekitike. They already had Chiesa and many other options as well.”

“The defence needed to be strengthened, especially with Joe Gomez’s injury history as well. Guehi probably was available. They would have sold him at the right price, keeping in mind he is a free agent at the end of the season.”