Chelsea are pursuing a deal for Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, according to Expreso.

The Ecuadorian publication goes as far as to say that the centre-back is only “one step away” from joining his fellow countryman Moises Caicedo at Stamford Bridge.

Ordonez came through the same academy as Caicedo, playing for Independiente del Valle, before leaving to join Club Brugge in the summer of 2022.

After a spell in the Belgian side’s reserve team, the centre-half made his first-team debut against Westerlo at the start of last season.

Ordonez has subsequently gone on to make 47 appearances in all competitions for Club Brugge over the past 15 months.

Caicedo is now playing alongside Ordonez at international level

The 20-year-old received his first international cap for Ecuador against Guatemala earlier this year, and he has now started four games for his country.

Ordonez was actually in the starting lineup along with Caicedo on Tuesday evening when Ecuador beat Colombia 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

Although he is ostensibly a centre-half, he has been asked to play at right-back for Ecuador, having started in that position versus Colombia.

Chelsea will need to stump up the cash to sign the player

If the Blues do want to secure Ordonez’s signature, they will have to negotiate a transfer fee with Club Brugge first. Reports suggest that the Belgian club could hold out for a significant sum.

They are said to be demanding around €30m (£25m) which is a sizeable amount for a player who has limited experience at the highest level.

It should be pointed out that Chelsea have tried to sign a player from Club Brugge pretty recently. They wanted to bring in Antonio Nusa but the Norwegian starlet ultimately ended up joining RB Leipzig instead.

Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here