Barcelona have reportedly turned their attention to Atletico Madrid's out-of-favour defender Felipe Augusto as they grapple with a defensive injury crisis. The Catalans' problems worsened after Gerard Pique suffered a knee injury in last month's 1-0 loss to Atletico, ruling him out for around four months. Clement Lenglet's ankle injury against Osasuna on Sunday has left the club without senior centre-backs.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Barcelona have added Felipe to their January wish-list alongside primary target Eric Garcia of Manchester City. The club failed to raise the £9million fee required to sign Garcia in the summer, and the defender is out of contract at the end of the season. However, Barcelona need immediate reinforcements and may pursue a loan deal for Felipe.
Felipe, who joined Atletico from Porto last season, has struggled for game time under Diego Simeone, with Stefan Savic, Jose Gimenez and Mario Hermoso ahead of him in the pecking order. Atletico may be reluctant to let him go as they compete in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona's financial woes, exacerbated by the pandemic, limit their options. The club recently agreed a wage cut with players saving £109million, but combined with manager Ronald Koeman's pay cut, the total of £154million falls short of the £170million target. Barcelona recorded losses of £88million in their latest accounts, with net debt doubling to £440million.
Koeman's side currently sit seventh in La Liga, nine points behind second-placed Atletico, who have two games in hand on leaders Real Sociedad.
