Fulham 2-2 Liverpool: Match Review
Reports in Ecuador claimed that Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez has agreed personal terms with Liverpool.
Liverpool have not made an offer for Club Brugge Joel Ordonez, reports in Belgium have said.
However, while Ordonez has been scouted, there is little talk on Merseyside that the 21-year-old will be heading to Anfield in the January transfer window.
Ordonez has travelled with Brugge to Marbella for a training camp ahead of the Belgian season recommencing after the winter break. And local outlet Het Laatste Nieuwscorroborates the suggestions at Liverpool and says that there is 'no sign of a transfer or any concrete, big-money offers’.
The Reds are short of options in central defence and the fact that they tried to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace last summer underlined their desire to strengthen. Arne Slot's side agreed a £35 million fee with Crystal Palace and Guehi underwent a medical before the South London outfit pulled the plug at the 11th hour. The England international remains of interest to Liverpool.
However, as Guehi is out of contract at Palace in the summer, and it has been confirmed he will not be penning a new deal to remain at Selhurst Park, he has plenty of suitors. Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been linked.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have been Liverpool's chief centre-back partnership this season, although the latter sees his contract expire in the summer and has yet to commit his future. Joe Gomez has been third choice, although he's had his injury problems over the past few years. Gomez returned to the bench for Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage, coming on as a late substitute.
But the fact that Liverpool signed Giovanni Leoni from £26 million from Para last summer suggests that they may not feel a need to purchase another young centre-half in Ordonez. Leoni delivered a highly-impressive performance on his Reds debut in a 2-1 win over Southampton before suffering a cruel ACL injury. The 19-year-old will not play again this campaign.
Continue Reading