Rewind to the start of January, and Liverpool supporters were convinced their club was about to sign Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez.
Fans had been desperately hoping to see a new centre-back arrive in the winter market, and reports from Ecuador suggested they were about to get their man.
However, the Ordonez rumours have since been dismissed, with Liverpool seemingly watching the 21-year-old and nothing more.
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The question of why the whisperings were so strong was answered by journalist Fabrizio Romano, who claimed that Liverpool enjoy a ‘very good relationship’ with Club Brugge, which may have led Ecuadorian reporters to jump the transfer gun.
While a move for Ordonez does not look especially imminent, new comments from winger Christos Tzolis about a potential transfer to Anfield suggest Liverpool may be putting that rapport to use by signing him instead.
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As well as a centre-back, Liverpool could really do with bringing a new winger through the door this January.
Interestingly, Tzolis has admitted he would be keen to leave Brugge for Liverpool amid a brilliant personal season in Brussels.
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The Greek has hit 11 goals and registered 15 assists across 30 appearances, easily making him Brugge’s star man.
If Liverpool are to sign a player from the Belgian league giants, and Ordonez is not the focus of their attention, then Tzolis is surely the one.
The Reds are excellent at forging relationships in football, and getting in with a club well-known for developing young players is a smart thing to do. Perhaps we will soon see it pay off with the signing of one of the most productive forwards in Europe this season.
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Ordonez and Tzolis are the two standouts from the current Club Brugge squad, and it is certainly intriguing that Liverpool have now been linked with both.
However, they are not the only players who could potentially be on the Reds’ radar ahead of a future move.
Ordonez’s fellow centre-back Jorne Spileers is an interesting prospect, while 21-year-old striker Romeo Vermant has kicked on this season as well.
There are a clutch of other young players in Ivan Leko’s squad worth keeping track of, and Liverpool are surely aware of them all as they look to foster this relationship.
For now, though, Tzolis looks like he should be one whom Reds fans get themselves acquainted with.
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