Chelsea, Aston Villa & Inter monitor Club Brugge defender after Marseille missed out on summer transfer

Marseille were heavily linked with Ordonez this summer and had reportedly reached personal agreement with the player. However, the French club couldn't meet the Belgian club's expectations and the move fell through. Chelsea, Inter and Villa have now entered the race to sign the Ecuadorian defender with the Premier League side's having sent their scouts to monitor the player during his international break for the World Cup qualifiers.

Ordonez was signed by Brugge's youth academy from Ecuadorian-side Independiente del Valle. The player spent a year with Club NXT before breaking to the first-team last year playing 49 games across all competitions. The Belgian club have put a price-tag of €40 million (£34m/$46m) on the defender with Chelsea and Villa representatives keeping an eye on his performances as he kept two clean sheets during his international outing against Argentina and Paraguay, while Inter have also kept tabs on him remotely.

Ordonez was Marseille's top priority signing this summer. After losing out on his signing, the French club then moved ahead to bring in Benjamin Pavard from Inter and Nayef Aguerd from West Ham. With many clubs now interested in the Ecuadorian, the Belgian club have already raised their demands, closing the door on a potential transfer and keeping Marseille's interest at bay.

Ordonez will be rejoining the Brugge camp after the international break. The Belgian club are set to face Louviere in the Jupiler Pro League before they kick off their Champions League campaign against Monaco on September 18.