Chelsea face race against time to sign Moises Caicedo's best friend

23 Aug 2026 09:52 BST | 4 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Chelsea will be required to act quickly if they want to finally complete a deal for long-term target Joel Ordonez, who has emerged as a possible replacement for Ezri Konsa at Aston Villa.

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The Ecuador international, who is understood to be close friends with Chelsea superstar Moises Caicedo, has been linked with a Stamford Bridge switch for the best part of two years and rumours have previously stated that he could finally join the west London giants this summer.

Current ETV

Joel Ordóñez

D (C)

Brugge

Joel Ordóñez

D (C)

Brugge

ETV Range

€30M - €36.6M

However, the Blues instead opted to sign Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace in July and their interest in Ordonez has subsequently died down over the past few weeks. But, they could be forced into action if they want to beat Aston Villa to his signature before Transfer Deadline Day.

The Athletic report that Unai Emery’s side have approached Club Brugge over a possible deal for the 22-year-old and talks are likely to intensify shortly as Villa look to sign a new central defender to replace the aforementioned Konsa, who joined Arsenal on Friday.

Southampton star Taylor Harwood-Bellis is also on Villa’s radar, although they have seen an opening bid for the Englishman rejected and it remains to be seen if they will return to the negotiating table with an improved offer.

Chelsea, meanwhile, aren’t expected to dip back into the centre-back market over the next week-and-a-half, but Villa’s interest in Ordonez could feasibly tempt them into an offer given their long-standing interest in the defender, who has 20 senior caps for Ecuador.

Chelsea’s centre-back plan

Chelsea are expected to sanction a host of exits before Deadline Day on 1 September, with the club eager to offload a number of central defenders, in particular.

Benoit Badiashile completed an initial loan move to Serie A giants Napoli on Saturday, and his compatriot Axel Disasi is now on the verge of joining Crystal Palace on a temporary deal for the 2026-27 campaign.

Chelsea are also keen to agree loan deals for Aaron Anselmino and Mamadou Sarr, while Tosin Adarabioyo has been tipped to depart permanently after his underwhelming form in pre-season.

Josh Acheampong has been linked with an exit too, although he now looks likely to stay at Stamford Bridge, alongside Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Jorrel Hato and summer signing Lacroix. A move for Ordonez remains highly unlikely, but it can’t be truly ruled out if Chelsea are able to sanction a number of departures over the next few days.