Crystal Palace fail in Liverpool transfer hijack: report

The January transfer window is often a time for last-minute trolley dashes as clubs look to take advantage of their final opportunity to bring in new faces ahead of the deadline.

The nature of the winter window means that these teams often need to be reactive and respond to the sale of key players and fill any unexpected gaps that appear in their squads during the month of January.

This is the situation that Crystal Palace find themselves in, as they look to fill the void left by former skipper Marc Guehi, who joined Manchester City in a £20 million move. While the Eagles were certainly bracing themselves for the loss of the England defender who was in the final six months of his contract at Selhurst Park, it hasn’t made replacing him any easier.

Palace fail in swoop for Liverpool-linked defender

Palace have had to use midfielder Jefferson Lerma at the back in recent weeks, while centre-back Chadi Riad has only just recovered from a long-term ACL injury. Teenager Jaydee Canvot, meanwhile, was on the bench for Sunday’s draw against Nottingham Forest.

That means quality, experience and depth are all required in a Palace side that has tumbled down the table in recent weeks.

One target that the Eagles have identified is Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez, who was also on Liverpool’s radar during the January window.

Arne Slot’s side, who failed in a move for Guehi in the summer, have been in need of defensive reinforcements, given that Ibrahima Konate is in the final months of his Anfield deal, while Virgil van Dijk turns 35 in July, while summer signing Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending injury on his debut for the club.

That meant Liverpool had been scouting Ordonez, with reports claiming they were leading the chase for the Ecuador international ahead of Chelsea.

With Liverpool having now agreed a £60 million summer move for France under-21 international centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, it would appear that the Reds have ticked that box at the back for now at least, with Palace seemingly ready to strike.

According to The Athletic, the Eagles have seen a bid for Ordonez rejected by Brugge, after the offer did not meet the Belgian side’s valuation of the player. Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws claimed that the Palace offer clocked in at €40million.

Ordonez - who is valued at €28million by Transfermarkt - signed a new deal with Brugge in September which runs until 2029 as a reward for good form that has seen him become a key player for the side over the past two seasons.

In FourFourTwo’s view, Ordonez is clearly one of the more talented young defenders playing in Europe and with Liverpool focusing on their deal for Jacquet, this could be Palace’s chance to swoop in and land the promising youngster.