Liverpool set to beat Chelsea to Ecuador defender | OneFootball

Liverpool are set to beat Chelsea to the signing of Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez.

Arne Slot wants to add a centre-back to his options to ease the reliance on Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.

Joe Gomez is currently out injured and has a chequered fitness record, while summer signing Giovanni Leoni sustained an ACL injury on debut and is unlikely to play again this season.

Liverpool have turned to Ordonez as a result with reports in South America suggesting a £35m deal is close. Chelsea had also been interested in the 21-year-old, who has already won 14 senior caps for the Ecuador national team. However, Liverpool are now closing in on a deal.

Ordonez came through the ranks at Independiente del Valle, the Ecuadorian talent factory that has produced names including Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and Willian Pacho in recent years. He moved to Belgium with Club Brugge in 2023 and has since made 104 appearances for the club.

Liverpool had tried to sign a centre-back in the summer with a deadline day deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi collapsing. The Reds remain interested in Guehi, though the defender is set to stay at Palace into the summer, when his contract expires.

Liverpool are set to return for Guehi as a free agent but will face competition from a host of leading European clubs.

The Premier League champions also face the prospect of losing Konate, who is out of contract at the end of the season and yet to sign an extension. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are monitoring developments if a new deal is not agreed.

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