Crystal Palace have had a £34.6million bid for Joel Ordonez rejected by Club Brugge, giving Liverpool a major boost in their pursuit of the defender as the transfer window deadline approaches
Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter and Will Schofield Senior Sports Reporter
18:13, 02 Feb 2026
Jeremy Jacquet runs
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Jeremy Jacquet could be on his way to Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Crystal Palace have reportedly seen a £34.6million bid for Joel Ordonez knocked back - which comes as welcome news for Liverpool.
The Reds have been strongly linked with the Club Brugge defender throughout much of the winter transfer window. Nevertheless, it seems that Arne Slot is facing fierce competition in the battle to land the centre-back, with Palace making their move.
The Athletic reports that the Eagles are also seeking defensive reinforcements following the departure of Marc Guehi to Manchester City last month.
Joel Ordonez challenges for the ball
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Club Brugge have rejected Crystal Palace's bid for Joel Ordonez(Image: PA)
Oliver Glasner may need to look at alternative targets after Palace saw their deadline day approach for the 21-year-old turned down for failing to match his Belgian club's asking price. This could now pave the way for Liverpool to launch a late bid of their own.
Whilst the Reds have agreed verbally on a £55million deal for Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet, it's understood that the centre-back will stay put until the summer - to assist with their Ligue 1 campaign.
With Liverpool looking worryingly light in terms of central defensive cover, the club would be sensible to find an answer before Monday's 7pm cut-off.
This comes as club icon Jamie Carragher called on Slot to explore the market for a defender capable of featuring in the latter half of 2025/26 on Monday afternoon.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he commented: "Liverpool need reinforcements in that area right now, but they definitely need it in the summer," reports the Liverpool Echo.
"It appears that [Ibrahima] Konate is set to depart - he's yet to sign a new contract. I believe they're bringing in young centre-backs for the future.
"Regrettably, [Giovanni] Leoni - who they signed last summer - has sustained an ACL injury so we won't see him either. I would still like to see Liverpool bring in another defender today, as I think they'll need one before the season ends."
When questioned about the delay being frustrating due to Liverpool's current injury woes, Carragher responded: "Yes. But when the deal was finalised with Rennes, that might have been part of getting the deal over the line.
"It's not going to disrupt their season in France now, so I can understand it as he is their player - so they have to abide by their rules. Liverpool have paid top dollar. The future looks promising at centre-back, but they have urgent issues right now that need addressing."
Aside from Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, Liverpool are currently short on depth in the centre-back position. Giovanni Leoni suffered an ACL injury on his debut in September and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as a result, while the Reds decided to sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
It's been a challenging campaign at Anfield, with Liverpool watching their hopes of retaining the crown they secured last May fade with each passing week.
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Currently, the club find themselves in sixth position in the Premier League table, boasting 11 victories, six stalemates and seven defeats - trailing pace-setters Arsenal by 14 points.
Next up for the Reds is a home encounter against Manchester City on Sunday, February 8, before the squad make the trip to the Stadium of Light three days later to face Sunderland AFC. Whether any fresh recruits will feature in either clash remains to be seen.