Liverpool to sign £35m Chelsea target in January

Liverpool are close to signing Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez, who was previously on Chelsea's radar.

The Merseyside giants have had a frustrating defence of their Premier League title. They are presently 13 points behind leaders Arsenal.

The club are likely to settle for a top-four finish this campaign. For that to happen, they may need more depth in central defence.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are the regular centre-backs at the moment, but an injury to either could derail their season.

It is now claimed that the Reds are closing in on a deal Ordonez. They are prepared to pay an initial fee of around £35 million for him.

Chelsea looked at the prospect of landing the 21-year-old earlier this summer, but seem unlikely to follow up their interest for now.

Hence, Arne Slot's side have a clear run at signing the Ecuadorian, who should provide quality competition and depth going forward.

The Reds could also bring in a new attacker this winter.