{
  "id": 2777956,
  "title": "Aston Villa open talks to sign Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/aston-villa-open-talks-to-sign-club-brugge-defender-joel-ordonez",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T11:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/aston-villa-open-talks-sign-112500352.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aston Villa has initiated discussions with Club Brugge regarding the potential acquisition of their center-back, Joel Ordonez. According to The Athletic, the English club is considering Ordonez as a replacement for Ezri Konsa in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Ecuadorian defender has previously caught the interest of various Premier League clubs, but Aston Villa appears to be the frontrunner to secure his services.\n\nThe 22-year-old Ordonez's pursuit by Villa came after Southampton declined a £18 million offer, including potential add-ons, for their own center-back, Taylor Harwood-Bellis. While negotiations with Southampton for Harwood-Bellis continue, Aston Villa remains open to exploring other alternatives, such as signing Ordonez.\n\nOrdonez has represented Ecuador with 20 caps, including three appearances at the 2026 World Cup. During the 2022-23 season, he made ten appearances in the UEFA Champions League, demonstrating his capability to compete at that level. He achieved an impressive 94% pass completion rate and contributed 53 clearances and 1.48 tackles per league game. Additionally, Ordonez registered an average of one foul per match, showcasing his ability to perform effectively while maintaining discipline.\n\nAston Villa aims to secure a center-back replacement for Konsa, ideally with a younger player who possesses the potential for growth.",
  "summary": "Aston Villa have started negotiations with Club Brugge for the transfer of centre-back Joel Ordonez.The Athletic claims that Villa are interested in the Ecuador international as an option to replace E...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Brighton vs Aston Villa – Predicted lineup and team news",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/brighton-vs-aston-villa-predicted-lineup-and-team-news",
        "published": "2026-08-23T04:11:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}