The truth behind Liverpool's pursuit of Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez has supposedly been revealed following claims that the Reds were close to agreeing a deal for the Ecuadorian.
With Virgil van Dijk turning 35 this year and Ibrahima Konate in the final six months of his contract, a new centre-back is a priority for Arne Slot in the next two transfer windows.
Liverpool are reported to have agreed a deal to sign 17-year-old Austria Vienna defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe*,* but the teenager is not expected to make a major first-team impact straight away.
At the same time, fellow youngster Giovanni Leoni will be out for the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury, while Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo are also absent and do not appear to have long-term futures at Anfield.
On New Year's Day, it was suggested that Liverpool had outbid Chelsea in the race for Ordonez and were close to tying up a deal for the Belgian-based centre-back, who would cost the Reds around £34.9m.
Liverpool 'not pursuing' Joel Ordonez transfer
© Iconsport / Baptiste Fernandez
However, the Daily Mail reports that the Premier League champions are in fact not actively pursuing a deal for Ordonez, even though he has been 'watched' by Reds scouts in recent times,
The 21-year-old joined Club Brugge from Independiente del Valle in 2022 and has already made 105 appearances for the Belgian giants in all tournaments, registering four goals and two assists along the way.
Ordonez has started all six of Club Brugge's Champions League matches so far this season, and he has won an impressive 69.2% of his aerial duels over the past 365 days, putting him in the 90th percentile compared to centre-backs in the Big Five European leagues.
Liverpool are not working to bring the 6ft 2in centre-back to Anfield, though, conflicting claims from South America that suggested a deal between the two parties was close.
Ordonez is still under contract with Club Brugge until 2029 and is expected to make the Ecuador squad for the 2026 World Cup, where his nation will face Germany, Curacao and Ivory Coast in Group E.
What Joel Ordonez alternatives can Liverpool target?
© Imago / Sportsphoto
A future move for Ordonez is not completely off the cards for Liverpool, who have been doing their checks on the young South American, but they are said to be looking at alternative targets this month.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi seemingly remains at the top of Liverpool's shortlist, but the Reds are expected to pursue the England international as a free agent at the end of the season rather than trying for a cut-price January deal.
Manchester City and Bayern Munich could threaten Liverpool's chances of signing Guehi, though, and there is a chance that the Reds could bring those plans forward if Konate is lured away this month.
Guehi's teammate Maxence Lacroix is also rumoured to have caught Liverpool's eye, in addition to Celta Vigo's Oscar Mingueza and Brentford's Nathan Collins, but the former has predominantly played out wide this season.