Tottenham Hotspur are reported to have moved ahead of Liverpool in the race for Joel Ordonez, with Club Brugge said to want around £39m for the defender. The shift matters because Tottenham are still weighing a separate and more expensive move for Jan Paul van Hecke, leaving two defensive paths open at once.
That is why Tottenham fans are looking at Joel Ordonez now. Mark Brus reported that Liverpool, after cooling their interest, are back in the picture for the Club Brugge centre-back, but believes Tottenham are currently in front for his signature as they search for defensive reinforcements. In the same market, a Friday report said Tottenham intended to return with an improved £55m offer for Van Hecke, a figure that underlines how far they are prepared to go for a player who remains a priority.
On the numbers alone, Ordonez reads as the cheaper option. Around £39m is roughly £16m below the reported £55m Tottenham are ready to put on the table for Van Hecke, which is why the Ordonez deal is being treated as the fallback if Brighton keep resisting. Tottenham have already had two bids for Van Hecke rejected, and Brighton are said to be playing hardball over the fee, so the club is clearly preparing for a market where the first choice does not come easily. For Tottenham, the question is no longer whether they want to strengthen at the back; it is which defender they will land first.
Van Hecke added more weight to that picture on Sunday when he said he wanted to focus on the Dutch national team and that clarity about his future would probably come after the World Cup. He said he was thinking about the tournament first and would see where he plays only later, a public stance that matches the uncertainty around his club future. The timing matters because he is in the final year of his current Brighton contract, so every fresh report on Tottenham's interest now lands against a deadline that cannot be ignored.
That leaves Tottenham with two live options and one unresolved choice. They can keep pushing for Van Hecke and pay more to break Brighton's stance, or turn more decisively to Ordonez, where they are said to be leading Liverpool already. Either way, the next move will show whether Tottenham are building around a preferred target or simply moving fastest toward whoever can be signed first.
