Aston Villa are now making progress in their pursuit of Joel Ordonez, having agreed personal terms with the Club Brugge defender.
It could be a busy end to the summer transfer window for Villa, with Ollie Watkins attracting major interest from Al-Hilal, whereas a replacement is still needed for Ezri Konsa, following his move to Arsenal last week.
Unai Emery has suggested Modou Keba Cisse has a part to play this season, despite making it clear he wants to bring in another centre-back, saying: “We want one centre-back more to replace Konsa, but we have a young centre-back, Cisse, working with us in pre-season. He’s a young player with potential.”
However, Cisse is yet to make a senior appearance for the Villans, with his only professional experience coming at LASK in the Austrian Bundesliga, whereas Ordonez has already started proving himself at a high level.
The Ecuadorian defender has made 22 appearances in the Champions League during his time with Club Brugge, and has 20 international caps to his name.
Last season, the 22-year-old remained a key player for Club Brugge throughout the campaign, making 46 appearances in all competitions, and he averaged 6.7 defensive contributions per 90 in the Jupiler Pro League.
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Why Aston Villa should sign Joel Ordonez |
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Could be long-term Konsa replacement |
Losing Konsa was far from ideal, considering the England international is tried and tested in the Premier League, but the Club Brugge star could be a solid-long term heir. At 22-years-old, he is around six years younger than Arsenal’s new signing, but he has already built up plenty of experience, making 128 senior appearances for the Belgian side. |
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Modou Keba Cisse’s lack of experience |
Cisse, on the other hand, has only made 45 appearances for LASK, and the 2025-26 campaign was the first in which he was a regular starter. As such, it may be a while before he is capable of challenging the likes of Pau Torres or Victor Lindelof for a starting spot. |
Aston Villa agree personal terms with Joel Ordonez
Aston Villa are now making progress in their pursuit of Ordonez, who has been described as “excellent” by John McGinn, with a report from TEAMtalk stating they have agreed personal terms with the Club Brugge defender.
The Ecuador international has emerged as one of the Villans’ main targets in the centre of defence, and he has given the green light for a move to Villa Park.
However, club-to-club talks with Club Brugge are still ongoing, with Emery’s side looking to agree a transfer fee, and a deal could be relatively expensive, as the Belgian side are said to be holding out for around £43m.
Liverpool agreed to pay £43m to sign Ordonez back in January, before backing out of a deal, and the Reds’ interest has now cooled, opening the door for Villa to get a deal done.