Crystal Palace hijack Aston Villa's Joel Ordonez deal! €30m move for Club Brugge defender close

Crystal Palace are on the verge of securing a major transfer coup by hijacking Aston Villa's attempts to sign Ordonez. The South London club have moved quickly to formalise their interest in the 22-year-old, offering a deal structured as a loan with a conditional obligation to buy for €30 million.

On Tuesday, reports from The Athletic indicated that Aston Villa were progressing well with a deal to bring Ordonez to Villa Park, with Unai Emery keen to add depth to his squad for their upcoming Champions League campaign. Villa's offer for the centre-back was also a loan with a similar obligation to buy, but Palace have now surged ahead in the race for his signature.

A combination of major defensive departures and timely injuries has forced Palace to act swiftly in the market. Following the £52m sale of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea, the Eagles sought immediate cover by bringing in Axel Disasi on loan from Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. However, their defensive crisis deepened when Chadi Riad suffered a serious injury during the club's 2-0 opening weekend defeat to Everton, making further recruitment an urgent priority.

Riad's injury made it an absolute necessity for the club to return to the market for another specialist centre-half. Ordonez, who made 46 appearances across all competitions for Club Brugge last season and scored four goals, has long been on Palace's radar. The Eagles previously tested Brugge's resolve with a potential €40m approach during the winter transfer window, but the Belgian club firmly rejected any departure for the defender, who remains under contract until 2028.

The pursuit of Ordonez is not a knee-jerk reaction to recent results, but rather the culmination of a long-term scouting process. Crystal Palace have long admired the physical and technical attributes of the young Ecuadorian - who won the Belgian Pro League in 2023–24, the Belgian Cup in 2024–25, and the Belgian Super Cup in 2025 with Club Brugge - viewing him as a perfect fit for the high-intensity system implemented by Sage.

Crystal Palace have been remarkably active in the summer transfer window, bolstering their squad across multiple departments with a strategic blend of emerging talent and proven experience. The Eagles secured the signature of attacking prospect Anan Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise, alongside young forward Zavier Gozo from MLS side Real Salt Lake. To strengthen their wide options and Premier League pedigree, Palace snapped up winger Dwight McNeil from Everton. Furthermore, the South London club reinforced their defensive ranks by completing free-transfer deals for both Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu and Spanish defender Oscar Mingueza.

Crystal Palace will be desperate to bounce back from their opening-weekend defeat when they host Manchester City on Friday. The Eagles face a formidable test at Selhurst Park against a City side brimming with confidence after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in their own season opener, making Palace's search for their first points of the campaign all the more challenging.