Liverpool can take bold step to solving crisis by beating Chelsea to £35m-rated 'next Antonio Rudiger'
Liverpool are on the market for new defenders in attempt to improve this season’s shaky performances
Liverpool are on the market for new defenders ahead of 2026 as they hope to fix what has emerged as a major worry at the club.
Arne Slot’s backline has been dramatically leaking goals recently, with only five clean sheets kept in all competitions so far this season. The Reds have shipped 18 goals in their last 10 fixtures, highlighting their need for defensive reinforcements. Signing a new centre-back has become a priority for Liverpool, especially as the futures of three senior figures are now uncertain.
Virgil van Dijk is under contract until 2027 but will be approaching his 36th birthday by then. Ibrahima Konate could stand to leave the club as a free agent next year, and Joe Gomez could also be sold, having come close to joining AC Milan over the summer.
Liverpool rival Chelsea for centre-back target
A number of centre-back targets have emerged on Liverpool’s radar recently and one of the latest is exciting young talent Joel Ordonez. According to Bolavip, the Reds recently sent scouts to watch the Ecuadorian talent, who currently competes in Belgium with Club Brugge.
However, the Premier League champions face competition from Chelsea, who have also shown interest in Ordonez, as they too want to improve their backline.
The 21-year-old has been described as a figure ‘everyone in Europe likes’. Liverpool have also shown their willing to invest in young players for the future, having signed Giovanni Leoni over the summer.
Unfortunately for Leoni, his maiden season has been cut short as he is expected to see out most, if not all of it on the sidelines with an ACL injury. The fitness blow to the 18-year-old Italian leaves Liverpool with space to sign another young and exciting centre-back, which is where Ordonez could slot in nicely.
Who is Liverpool target Joel Ordonez?
Ordonez is on an impressive upwards trajectory and has established himself as a key player for Club Brugge. The defender made the move to the Belgian side in 2022, when he joined their academy from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle.
The Serie A side, based in Sangolqui, has seen many impressive youngsters come through the club’s ranks and become top players in recent years. Ordonez has been backed to followed similar pathways to those before him, including the likes of Moises Caicedo at Chelsea, and Arsenal loanee Piero Hincapie. The Ecuador internationals are just two names who have come through the ranks at Independiente del Valle.
Brussels-based talent scout Jacek Kulig delivered a scout report on Ordonez back in 2022 amid reports of Club Brugge signing the young centre-back. Posting on social media, Kulig mentioned Ordonez as the ‘talent of the day’.
In the report, Kulig described Ordonez as a ‘complete and dominant centre-back’, whose strengths include ‘pace, power, tackling, anticipation, bravery, athleticism and heading’.
With an 8/10 rating in potential, Ordonez was likened to Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger. All this was reported about Ordonez when he was just 18 years of age. Now 21, a regular starter for Club Brugge and a senior Ecuador international, the likes of Liverpool are showing serious interest in the centre-back.
The Bolavip report claims that Ordonez could cost €40 million (£35m), which is significantly less than what other Liverpool targets could cost in 2026. Last month, it was reported that the Reds were preparing an £88 million bid in attempt to sign Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan.
Targeting someone like Ordonez instead would save the club serious money and allow them to potentially invest the rest of Bastoni’s eye-watering figure in another area of the squad. Ordonez would be a much more cost effective attempt to improve Liverpool’s backline, which could become a club crisis in just a matter of months.