Chelsea Step Up Pursuit of Club Brugge Defender Joel Ordoñez

Overview

• Chelsea accelerated their long-running look at the 22-year-old after scouts watched him in Belgium over the weekend, according to multiple reports citing TEAMtalk.
• Club Brugge are expected to seek about €40m, roughly £35m, and Ordoñez is under contract until 2029 as reported this week.
• Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and, in some reports, Aston Villa are also tracking the centre-back, setting up a Premier League battle for his signature.
• The push comes as Chelsea’s back line struggles, with no Premier League clean sheet since January and a defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday highlighting the need for reinforcements.
• Ordoñez has topped 100 senior games for Brugge, played in this season’s Champions League, and made 42 appearances with four goals across all competitions.