Liverpool READY to move for wonderkid taking Champions League by STORM

The injury sustained by Ibrahima Konate at the end of Liverpool’s 2-0 domination of Real Madrid was a stark reminder of one of the bigger uncertainties of Arne Slot’s side.

Led by Konate and the ever-present Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool have the best defensive record in both the Premier League and Champions League.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Virgil van Dijk is STAYING at Liverpool

Yet they are now staring into the barrel of having to start either Jarell Quansah or Joe Gomez against Manchester City on Sunday.

Neither Quansah or Gomez are untrustworthy options by any stretch of the imagination, but the level that Konate and Van Dijk have set this season has been nigh on untouchable.

And despite our understanding that Virgil van Dijk will be staying at Liverpool beyond the end of this season, the club are clearly interested in shoring up their depth whilst future-proofing the centre-back position.

In that light, CaughtOffside are reporting that Liverpool are interested in Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez.

Could Ordonez replace Konate in Liverpool's defence?

Despite only being 20 years old, Ordonez has impressed for the Belgian side this season both domestically and in the Champions League, as well as already making four appearances for Ecuador.

The report states that Newcastle United and Aston Villa are both interested in the Ecuadorian, who is reportedly valued at around €30m (around £25m).

Villa come as no surprise as Ordonez played the full 90 minutes when Brugge shut Villa’s attack down on their way to beating the Midlanders 1-0 in the Champions League earlier this month.

Ordonez currently operates as the right centre-back for Brugge, meaning he would naturally be a depth piece for Konate unless Arne Slot believes he could convert him to the left (which we shouldn’t put past him).

The young Ecuadorian holds higher progressive carries and passes per-90 than both Konate and Van Dijk, indicating a higher reliance on him by his club than Liverpool place on either of their central defenders.

He also holds a 2.59 tackle and interception rate per-90, higher than both Van Dijk’s 2.42 and Konate’s 1.67, at a tackle rate of 50%, the same as Van Dijk’s. This demonstrates that, despite being 20, he is already an effective defender who will only get better.

With Gomez potentially on his way out at the end of this season, Liverpool will need to replenish their garrison if they intend to continue playing the way they are doing so far this season.

Ordonez may be exactly what they need to do that.

READ MORE: Konate and Bradley injury UPDATES