Barcelona are reportedly prepared to offer between €30m and €40m in their attempt to try and prise Luiz Felipe away from Lazio.
The 23-year-old joined the Italian giants in 2017 and has gone on to play a crucial role for Simone Inzaghi’s side this season as they challenge for the Serie A title.
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With 23 appearances across all competitions as two injury setbacks forced him to miss a couple of league outings, he’ll hope to build on that and continue to play a key part in Lazio’s pursuit of success when the campaign resumes.
However, it has also now been reported that perhaps his fine form for Lazio has attracted interest from elsewhere.
According to Calciomercato, Barcelona are prepared to put between €30m and €40m on the table to try and prise the Brazilian defender away from the Stadio Olimpico as they eye defensive reinforcements.
Gerard Pique turns 34 next year while Samuel Umtiti has been dogged by injury problems since last season which has severely limited him.
That leaves Clement Lenglet as the only other senior option to play in the heart of the backline, and for a giant of European football looking to compete on multiple fronts year in and year out, that is surely not enough while also lacking a long-term plan.
With that in mind, the touted pursuit of Felipe makes sense, as he could offer them a short term and long term solution at the back, although perhaps it’s still a little early to be fully convinced that he’s the ideal choice to address that particular issue.
Meanwhile, the report goes on to note via the paper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, that Lazio president Claudio Lotito is looking to agree a contract renewal with Felipe to strengthen their position and perhaps insert a release clause.
In turn, Felipe’s decision on whether or not to sign a new contract could be decisive in how his future plays out.