Liverpool are reportedly close to signing a very highly-rated centre-back in a surprise development, and it\u2019s NOT Marc Guehi, while Real Madrid have decided against a big-money move for an Anfield favourite.<\/p>\n
Arne Slot\u2019s side went through a period of awful form by their standards, but they are fighting back, and have risen to fourth place in the Premier League table.<\/p>\n
Sources have anticipated a fairly quiet January transfer window for Liverpool<\/a>, which is no real shock after they spent almost \u00a3450million on new additions over the summer.<\/p>\n But the Reds are still on the lookout for reinforcements, and Slot is keen to add a new centre-back, as evidenced by the club\u2019s previous failed pursuit of Palace star Guehi.<\/p>\n Guehi remains a top target for Liverpool, but reports suggest that they are close to agreeing a deal for another centre-back, which would come as something of a shock.<\/p>\n Keeping hold of key players is equally as important for Slot, though, and there is good news on that front due to a Real Madrid transfer decision.<\/p>\n Liverpool reportedly \u2018close\u2019 to surprise transfer<\/p>\n A report from\u00a0Bolavip\u00a0claims that Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez is \u2018<\/a>\u00a0close to becoming a\u00a0Liverpool\u00a0player\u2019<\/a> as \u2018negotiations have intensified\u2019.<\/p>\n The major news outlet in the USA and South America had earlier reported that\u00a0Liverpool were the \u2018frontrunners\u2019 for Ordonez, and now it has brought an update on the situation of the 21-year-old Ecuadorian international.<\/p>\n Liverpool will reportedly pay Ordonez \u2018a fortune in salary\u2019, which is close to \u2018$4million (\u00a33m, \u20ac3.41m) a year, almost triple his current salary at Club Brugge\u2019.<\/p>\n Chelsea had previously shown interest in the defender, but that has since cooled, it\u2019s claimed.<\/p>\n The report has added that Liverpool will have to pay Club Brugge over \u20ac40m (\u00a335m, $47m) for Ordonez.<\/p>\n He\u00a0has played 105 matches in all competitions for Club Brugge so far in his career, scoring four goals and providing two assists in the process.<\/p>\n Ordonez is under contract at the Belgian club until the summer of 2029, having signed a new extension only in September 2025.<\/p>\n The report clearly needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, as no outlets in the UK have backed it up yet. But Ordonez is certainly an exciting young player, so he\u2019s one to keep an eye on.<\/p>\n Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google <\/strong><\/a>to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Real Madrid decide against Liverpool raid<\/strong><\/p>\n Alexis Mac Allister has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid. There is believed to be some truth to the suggestions that Xabi Alonso\u2019s side are admirers of the Argentinian international.<\/p>\n However, the Spanish media is now reporting that Madrid are moving away from\u00a0Mac Allister<\/a>\u00a0and are focusing on AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, instead.<\/p>\n AS,\u00a0a Real Madrid-leaning publication, has reported that Madrid will \u2018move away\u2019 from making mega-signings such as Vitinha of Paris Saint-Germain or Mac Allister.<\/p>\n The report noted: \u2018Time passes, and\u00a0the strategy of incorporating young talent remains in place for the 2026 summer transfer window.<\/p>\n \u2018Sporting successes support this. Season after season, since the summer of 2019, major signings are viewed with the understanding that there\u2019s a decade ahead to shape the first-team squad and to amortise the cost of these operations over time without difficulty.<\/p>\n \u2018Signing\u00a0a fully developed player has become a thing of the past\u2026\u00a0Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Guler, Endrick, Huijsen, Carreras\u2026 are all footballers who respond to the aforementioned profile and\u00a0in which Kees Smit, the midfielder of AZ Alkmaar, fits perfectly.<\/p>\n \u2018\u2018On January 20, Smit will be 20 years old. All the football in the world ahead and an operation that would move away from the three-digit signings, such as that of Vitinha or McAllister, footballers capable of generating the game that Real Madrid leaders and coaches believe they need.\u2019<\/p>\n Liverpool tracking Bundesliga winger \u2013 he\u2019ll be expensive<\/p>\n Meanwhile, sources confirm that Liverpool are one of several clubs interested in RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande.<\/p>\n However, we understand that recent reports claiming that he could be available for \u00a350million this month are wide of the mark.<\/a><\/p>\n My colleague, Graeme Bailey, has been told by sources that the supposed valuation is \u201claughable\u201d.\u00a0Leipzig have already confirmed that Diomande has no release clause in the contract, which runs until 2030.<\/p>\n