Report: Liverpool want to sign the biggest 16-year-old talent in all of South America
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rousing the Kop or go back to LFC Live.
Liverpool’s lack of options at centre-back has been a cause of worry for Arne Slot so far this season.The Reds finally bolstered their ranks over the summer, as Giovanni Leoni became their first central defensive signing for four years.However, after Leoni suffered a serious knee injury in his first ever appearance for Liverpool, Slot has been left with only three options: Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. One of the options the Reds could look at is Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez.
After an impressive three years in Belgium, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Ordonez.The 21-year-old is a product of the famed Independiente del Valle youth team, and it seems that as well as tracking Ordonez, Liverpool could look to snap up the latest graduate of the top Ecuadorian academy. Photo by Eduardo Velázquez/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty ImagesLiverpool keen on Deinner OrdonezAlthough he is still young, Ordonez would likely be seen as a signing for the here and now by Liverpool.
Leoni is one of the best centre-backs of his age group, and according to The Daily Mail, Richard Hughes and Arne Slot are targeting another top young defender.READ MORE: Liverpool keen on ‘remarkable’ Bundesliga forward Yan Diomande after meteoric rise Who has been Liverpool’s best summer signing? They claim that Ordonez’s namesake Deinner has crept onto the radar at Anfield.Liverpool are said to be keenly tracking the 16-year-old, who is reportedly seen as being ‘one for the future.’Scouts who have watched Ordonez are claimed to have labelled him as the best player in the whole of South America in his age group.Interest in the older Ordonez is also mentioned, with his name said to have ‘cropped up’ as a potential target either in January or next summer.Sources: Liverpool could sign both Joel and Deinner OrdonezAs they look to line up their defensive options for the future, sources have confirmed to RTK that Liverpool do indeed hold interest in both Joel and Deinner Ordonez.Interest in the Club Brugge centre-back is longstanding, and there is understood to be a chance that a January move is arranged.Meanwhile, Liverpool view Deinner as a top prospect capable of playing a starting role in the future and are keeping close tabs on his progress.However, the Reds will face competition for the teenager, with Chelsea looking to capitalise on their relationship with Independiente and get a head start on Ordonez.The 16-year-old is understood to be on the radar of every top club and is likely to take the step to Europe sooner rather than later.