Crystal Palace are closing in on a deal to sign defender Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge.Palace’s offer for the 22-year-old, a loan with a conditional obligation to buy for a fee in the region of €30million (£25m), hijacks Premier League rivals Aston Villa’s attempts to sign the centre-back.On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that Villa were progressing with a deal to sign the Ecuador international, but now Palace are trying to beat the West Midlands side and have formalised their own interest. Villa’s offer for the defender was also a loan with a similar obligation.Palace are in need of another centre-back after selling Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea this summer for £52m and then losing Chadi Riad to a serious-looking injury in their 2-0 opening-weekend defeat by Everton.
They confirmed the signing of Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea on Wednesday but Riad’s injury made it a necessity to bring in another player in defence.Morocco international Riad suffered a serious-looking injury during Palace’s Premier League opener (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)Ordonez haș been on their radar before, making an offer in the winter transfer window which could have reached €40m, but the Belgian club did not entertain a departure for their player who is under contract until 2028.The Ecuadorian, though, has missed Brugge’s first three games with an injury.A statement of intent from PalaceAnalysis by Crystal Palace correspondent Matt WoosnamThis would be an excellent signing for Palace and one they would really benefit from. Riad’s injury was unfortunate and the extent of the damage is still unknown but it looks likely to be serious.Regardless, Ordonez, at 22, would be a longer-term replacement for Lacroix and their former captain Marc Guehi.He fits the profile and model of their recruitment strategy — which is to buy, develop and try to sell for a profit. But they would be buying him with the intention of staying for several seasons and becoming a critical part of their defence as he becomes more experienced.It is clear how highly they regard him, going back after being rebuffed in the winter window, and to bring him in when he has other Premier League interest would be a statement of intent.
