Ordonez transfer twist – Big bid rejected after Liverpool agree deal | Football | Sport

Crystal Palace have seen a £34.6million bid for Joel Ordonez turned down – handing Liverpool a significant advantage in the race for the Club Brugge defender. The Reds have been linked with the centre-back throughout the January window.

Arne Slot isn’t without rivals, though, as Palace are desperate for defensive additions following Marc Guehi’s departure to Manchester City last month. According to The Athletic, Oliver Glasner’s side had a deadline day approach knocked back, after falling short of the Belgian outfit’s asking price for the 21-year-old. The rejection could in turn open the door for Liverpool to table an 11th-hour proposal of their own.

Jamie Carragher has already called on Slot to bring in defensive cover who can feature forthe second half of the 2025/2026 season. Speaking on Sky Sports on Monday afternoon, he said: “Liverpool need reinforcements in that area right now, but they definitely need it in the summer.

“It looks as though [Ibrahima] Konate is going to move on – he’s still not signed a contract yet. I think they’re getting in young centre-backs for the future. Unfortunately, [Giovanni] Leoni – who they signed last summer – has got an ACL injury so we won’t see him, as well. I would still like to see Liverpool sign another defender today, because I think they will need one before the end of the season.”

When questioned whether the postponed transfer is causing frustration given Liverpool’s current injury issues, Carragher added: “Yes. But when the deal has been done with Rennes, that may have been part of 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 play by their rules. Liverpool have paid top money. The future bodes well at centre-back, but they have pressing problems right now they need to fix.”

Beyond Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, Liverpool are short of options at centre-back. Giovanni Leoni sustained an ACL injury on his debut in September and he has been side-lined for the remainder of the campaign – while the Reds opted to offload Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

It’s been a challenging season at Anfield, with Liverpool’s dreams of defending their title from last May dwindling week by week. Currently, the club is languishing in sixth position in the Premier League table; with 11 victories, six draws and seven defeats – trailing league leaders Arsenal by 14 points.

The Reds’ next challenge is a home match against Man City on Sunday, February 8, followed by a trip to the Stadium of Light to play Sunderland AFC just three days later. Whether any new signings will be included in the first-team for these matches is yet to be determined.