Aston Villa in talks with Club Brugge over Joel Ordonez as transfer window runs down

Aston Villa are in talks with Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge to sign central defender Joel Ordonez on 24 August 2026, after failing to reach an agreement with Southampton for Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Club Brugge are understood to be demanding a minimum fee of £40m for the 22-year-old Ordonez, who played for Ecuador at this summer's World Cup and has made 124 appearances for the Belgian club since joining in 2022 from Independiente del Valle; Villa sold England defender Ezri Konsa to Arsenal last week.

Villa had targeted Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis but an offer worth £18m was rejected and there is a significant gap in valuation between the clubs; it is unclear whether that transfer can be revived and Unai Emery's side have moved on to other targets.

The club are seeking to bolster the squad after a 4-0 opening-day defeat to Brighton on Sunday and are working to strengthen before the transfer deadline on 1 September.

Several players have already left Villa this season, with Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Konsa all departing, and there are also questions over the future of striker Ollie Watkins, who is a target for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Watkins' departure would cut deepest - and Villa did not see it coming Watkins' absence at Brighton a question for him - Emery

Villa are also reported to be close to signing Germany midfielder Goretzka as they attempt to reshuffle the squad ahead of the 1 September deadline.

Discussions over Ordonez remain ongoing as Villa pursue reinforcements before the transfer window closes on 1 September.