Crystal Palace are making a bold move to hijack Aston Villa's pursuit of Joel Ordonez, the Club Brugge defender. Villa initially targeted Ordonez after failing to secure a deal for Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton.

Palace have now initiated discussions with the Belgian club regarding Ordonez, who is considered a long-term target for the Selhurst Park outfit. The urgency in Palace's approach stems from the injury of Chadi Riad, who was stretchered off during a match against Everton last Saturday.

Recent developments include:

• Palace completed a loan deal for Axel Disasi on Wednesday.
• They aim to bolster their defensive lineup further.

Meanwhile, Villa has been working diligently on securing Ordonez, especially after selling key centre-back Ezri Konsa to Arsenal last week. The club initially sought Harwood-Bellis but faced a significant valuation gap, prompting them to refocus on Ordonez, who is valued at £40 million by Brugge.

Despite suffering a fractured metatarsal that sidelined him at the start of the season, Ordonez had a strong previous season, featuring in 46 games for Brugge. Having graduated from the club's youth ranks, he boasts 128 appearances and seven goals for Brugge. Additionally, he represented Ecuador in this summer's World Cup, contributing significantly before their exit in the round of 32 against Mexico.

Crystal Palace has already made six signings this summer, including Dwight McNeil and Takehiro Tomiyasu, as they look to strengthen their squad.