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Club Brugge have rejected a bid from Crystal Palace for centre-back Joel Ordonez.
Palace are seeking defensive reinforcements after the departure of captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City earlier this month, though their offer did not meet Brugge’s valuation of the player.
In Palace’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, centre-back Chadi Riad played only his second game after returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in January last year, starting in defence alongside Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards, with 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot on the bench. Midfielder Jefferson Lerma has also filled in at the back.
Ordonez, 21, signed a new contract with the Belgian club in September, extending his deal until 2029.
The Ecuador international has emerged as a key player for Bruges across the last two years and has featured 27 times in all competitions this season, scoring once.
Ordonez came through the academy of Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle, where he made his senior debut in 2022, before signing for Club Brugge in August of that year. He initially featured for Club NXT, Brugge’s reserve side who play in the Belgian second tier.
He was initially used sparingly by the first team during the 2023-24 season though broke into the team towards the end of the campaign, helping the side reach the semi-finals of the Conference League. He went on to establish himself as a key part of the lineup in the following season, making 45 appearances in all competitions as Brugge reached the last 16 of the Champions League before they were eliminated by Aston Villa.
Ordonez has been capped eight times by Ecuador and was included in the squad for the 2024 Copa America, though he was an unused substitute in all four of the team’s matches.