Young, powerful, and above all, promising: the Ecuadorian represents the ideal investment for Oaktree. And Inter’s management could soon make a move, having already set their sights on him last summer.
Charles De Ketelaere is firmly at the top of Bruges’ record transfer list, followed closely by Ardon Jashari. They were paid €37.5 million and €36 million respectively. Destination: Milan for both. Common denominator: Milan in their destiny and two grueling negotiations concluded only by fully satisfying the Belgian club’s demands. Third place in the special ranking is currently occupied by Brazilian Igor Thiago, who moved to Brentford in the summer of 2025 for around £30 million and has become a key player in the Premier League (8 goals in 11 games) after a season of adaptation. However, Thiago could soon be “overtaken” among the best capital gains by Joel Ordoñez, who is hypothetically still headed for Milan. It’s too early to say, but the interest – this time not from the Rossoneri but from Inter – is there. A young, technical, aggressive defender, but above all one with a bright future and ready to explode. He is practically the identikit of the profile that Inter intends to focus on from now until the coming seasons. In fact, from yesterday: because Oaktree’s transfer market policy is clear, prohibiting excessively expensive negotiations in terms of transfer fees and instead imposing long-term investments to be entrusted to Cristian Chivu, waiting to reap the rewards. This is exactly what happened last summer with Bonny, Sucic, Luis Henrique, and Diouf. Some of the investments have already paid off, while others still have the benefit of the doubt linked to issues of acclimatization and time. What is certain, however, is that snatching Ordoñez from Bruges will not be easy…
From July 1, neither Francesco Acerbi nor Stefan De Vrij will be part of the Nerazzurri squad. Too old, too worn out by the last few grueling seasons, they are no longer part of the coach and management’s plans for the future of Inter, despite the fact that both former Lazio players continue to be appreciated and used in the present. On the one hand, there is Bisseck’s adaptation to center back, and on the other, an investment that Inter will certainly make between January and next summer. Marotta and Ausilio are considering several names, including Joel Ordoñez for all the reasons mentioned above. The problem, however, is that dealing with Bruges is never easy: in recent years, the Belgian club has never backed down when it comes to transfers, and it is unlikely to do so for the Ecuadorian defender, who is a key player for Bruges (already 14 appearances this season) and, above all, extended his contract until 2029 last September. Translation: for less than €25 million, Bruges will turn a deaf ear. But the deal could… double. Because the future of Aleksandar Stankovic is also at stake, who moved to Bruges last summer and is doing so well this season. Who knows: maybe Inter will decide to postpone the return of the son of a famous father to get a fast track for Ordoñez. After all, anything is possible on the transfer market…
