Liverpool have been left short at centre-back this season owing to a variety of reasons.
Richard Hughes - the Premier League champions’ sporting director - let Jarell Quansah go over the summer in a £30m deal with Bayer Leverkusen.
Then there’s the fate of Giovanni Leoni.
The teenager was acquired from Parma for £26m but suffered a devastating ACL injury on debut - ruling him out for the season.
Factor in the failure to land Marc Guehi on deadline day and you can see the perfect storm which has left Arne Slot with only THREE senior centre-back options this season.
Joel Ordonez reported to have agreed personal terms
As a result it was speculated that Liverpool would go into the market this January in order to restock their central defensive sector. One of the most prominent names discussed earlier in the window was Joel Ordonez.
The Ecuador international was reported by outlets in his homeland to have agreed personal terms ahead of a potential move from Club Brugge to Anfield.
The 21-year-old would cost in the region of £35m - and earn around £57k per week on his first Liverpool contract.
Ordonez has grown into a consistent Belgian league and Champions League performer since initially joining Club Brugge’s feeder club back in 2022 from Independiente del Valle.
Liverpool could get Ordonez in summer
His form for club and country put him on the map for bigger teams - Liverpool included - although the trail seems to have gone cold over the last week or so.
However a report in Football Insider claims that a deal for Ordonez is still very much ON - although it may have to wait until summer 2026.
“Liverpool may try to sign Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez in a future transfer window and could “look elsewhere” to sign a new centre-back this month,” the report reads.
Other centre-back names linked for the January window include Guehi as well as Micky van de Ven and Jeremy Jacquet.
A centre-back overhaul could take place on Merseyside next summer - with Ibrahima Konate destined to leave once his contract expire and Joe Gomez also a potential departure.
Liverpool have taken action to restock their academy with new central defenders in recent weeks - and a senior shakeup may now soon follow.
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