Aston Villa could sign on-strike EFL defender after move for £25m star hijacked by Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have hijacked Aston Villa’s move for Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, talkSPORT understands.

Palace have thrashed out a deal which will see Ordonez join on an initial loan with an obligation to buy in a deal totalling £25million.

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Ordonez has given the green light to move to Selhurst Park.

talkSPORT reported last week that Villa were closing in on the Club Brugge centre-back, with advanced talks ongoing.

But they have now been pipped to the post by their Premier League rivals, who are going to bring in the Ecuadorian instead.

Villa were hoping to sign Ordonez as a replacement for Ezri Konsa after he left the club to join Arsenal earlier this month.

Their pursuit came after having two bids rejected for £30m-rated Southampton star Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

However, Unai Emery is now going to either have to pay up for Harwood-Bellis or move on to a third centre-back target.

Unexpected target

Another potential alternative comes in the form of West Ham centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, the Athletic reports.

The Frenchman is desperate to leave the Hammers, who are playing in the Championship as a result of their relegation last season.

talkSPORT understands Todibo is currently refusing to play for West Ham, such is his determination to secure a move away this summer.

Todibo, who has three years left on his contract, fell out with manager Nuno Espirito Santo after being hauled off in the first half of the Hammers’ defeat at Newcastle in the penultimate game of last season. He also fell out with one of his Nuno’s predecessors in Julen Lopetegui.

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Crystal Palace’s centre-back signings

Palace have swooped in to sign Ordonez before Aston Villa as they continue adding some new defenders to their squad.

Chris Richards, Jaydee Canvot and Chadi Riad started their Premier League opener against Everton on Saturday afternoon.

That line-up came after Maxence Lacroix left the club for Chelsea, with Riad then picking up an injury in the 2-0 defeat.

So, with them left short at the back, new manager Pierre Sage has had to act, already signing Axel Disasi on loan.

And now he’s bringing in Ordonez to add further reinforcement and quality to his back line before the transfer deadline.

Oscar Mingueza and ex-Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu have also joined the club this summer.

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Who is Joel Ordonez?

Ordonez is a 22-year-old Ecuador international who represented his country at the 2026 World Cup over the summer.

He has made 124 appearances for Club Brugge since joining the club from Independiente del Valle in 2022. Of those games, 22 have come in the Champions League.

Brugge won the Belgian top-flight title last season, with Ordonez featuring in 33 of their 40 games.

That was the second league success that Ordonez has had with the club, also winning the title in the 2023/24 campaign.

The Ecuadorian has not played any games this season so far though, having been sidelined through injury.

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