Another centre-back target has emerged for Aston Villa as the club has reportedly made an approach for Club Brugge defender Joel Ordóñez.
The Athletic reported on Sunday that Villa have contacted the Belgian club regarding the 22-year-old as they look to secure a replacement for Ezri Konsa, who recently left for Arsenal.
A bid of £18m plus add-ons for Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis was rejected earlier this week, and with the two clubs still a way apart on valuation, Villa have seemingly turned their attention to Ordóñez, who is one of their three potential targets.
Villa are apparently unsure whether a deal for Ordóñez is financially viable, as he is expected to be more expensive than Harwood-Bellis. HLN Sport reported Club Brugge want €35m (£30m) for the Ecuador international, who is currently recovering from a broken metatarsal injury.
It seems Villa viewed Harwood-Bellis as the most cost-effective option, but with Southampton holding firm as they reportedly seek £25m, perhaps it is a case of the club being willing to pay the extra cost to secure what they see as the better player in Ordóñez.
Another part of the equation is the fact Villa may have to replace Ollie Watkins if a potential move to Al Hilal is sanctioned, and it is possible they have to pay more to replace him than they recoup for his sale.
Villa are in hot water with UEFA after breaching their spending rules, to have to be very deliberate in how they operate this summer.
There are a lot of plates spinning, and the outcome of Watkins’ situation may impact which centre-back they go for.
With the club now openly pursuing both defenders, they have opened themselves up to the risk of being deemed to have signed the ‘wrong one’. If they sign Harwood-Bellis, then Ordóñez ends up signing elsewhere and outperforms him or vice versa, they will draw criticism.
Another factor is Ordóñez’s injury. Villa knows first hand how a metatarsal can be problematic, having lost Jacob Ramsey for almost a season due to complications with the same injury a few years back.
Even if the reports are correct and he will be back in a few weeks, do Villa have a few weeks to wait? Their performance against Brighton on the opening day of the Premier League season suggests not.
Ordóñez is one of the hottest centre-back prospects playing in Europe and would be a real coup for Villa. At the same time, Harwood-Bellis could be ready to contribute more quickly. Ultimately, it may simply come down to what makes the most sense financially given their other needs.
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