Liverpool should move quickly and stop Chelsea's £25m plan to future-proof their defence - opinion

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Liverpool’s excellent start to the season has been underpinned by a superb collective defensive performance.

After 11 Premier League matches the Reds have conceded only six goals this term.

That is comfortably the best in the division and has led to deserved praise for Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.

Beyond Konate and Van Dijk, Liverpool have two more terrific options for shoring up their back line.

Neither Jarell Quansah nor Joe Gomez have had the game time they probably deserve so far this season, but both are valued members of the Liverpool squad.

Nevertheless, with Gomez potentially looking to move on and Van Dijk’s future far from clear, Liverpool need to look to what comes next. And as Chelsea start to do the same, the Reds must now act quickly so as not to let a top talent slip through their grasp.

Liverpool should push ahead for Joel Ordonez

There is still general hope that Van Dijk will stay at Liverpool beyond the end of this season.

But even if the captain does put pen to paper on a new contract, he is now 33 and will not be at this level forever.

As a result, a succession plan needs to be put into place at Anfield. And in our opinion, that plan should include Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez.

Ordonez has impressed for the Belgian side since signing from renowned Ecuadorian outfit Independiente del Valle in 2022.

READ MORE: Liverpool keen on ‘brave’ Ajax defender who has already sent public Virgil van Dijk message

That’s the same club that brought through the likes of Moises Caicedo, Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapie, all of whom are now impressing in Europe.

And while Hincapie looks like a top player too, Ordonez is the next cab off the rank. Caught Offside have already reported Liverpool’s interest in the 20-year-old, with a fee of around £25m supposedly needed to pluck him from Brugge.

Ordonez has shown his quality in the Champions League this season and Liverpool should move quickly to jump the inevitable queue that is starting to form to sign him.

Chelsea have Joel Ordonez plan

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are one of the sides who are taking the keenest interest in Ordonez.

Speaking exclusively to Rousing The Kop, Bailey says that the Blues are looking to snap the Ecuador international up before loaning him to sister club Strasbourg.

“I do know that Blue Co, Chelsea, like him to possibly take him to Strasbourg, I know that’s a thing,” says the journalist.

“Chelsea like him a lot, he’s probably not ready for Chelsea – or Liverpool – yet, but that next step they see as moving him to Strasbourg. He’s an ideal player for a system like that.”

For Liverpool, Van Dijk, Konate, Quansah and even Gomez’s presence mean that there is no need for Ordonez to be completely ready just yet, he can develop naturally before slotting in in the future.

To stop him getting stuck inside the Chelsea system, however, they’re going to have to move fast.