Barcelona To Decide On Signing Long-Term Replacement For Star Defender In January: Report

FC Barcelona reportedly will soon take a call if they should sign a long-term replacement for Gerard Pique, who has suffered yet another injury.

Barcelona will have a meeting in the coming days to decide if the club should enter the January transfer window in search of a center-back after Pique sustained a knee injury in Barcelona’s 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid Saturday, Spanish publication Marca reported.

The former La Liga champions revealed in an official statement that Pique sustained a knee injury during the Atletico game and another Marca report has revealed the Spanish defender is expected to be out for three to five months.

“Tests carried out this Sunday have shown that he has a grade 3 sprain in the internal lateral ligament and partial injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He is therefore not available for selection, and the evolution of the injury will condition his availability,” Barcelona said in a statement.

Pique has not only been at the heart of Barcelona's defense but also a vital cog of the side over the last decade. After the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta already moved on from the Catalan club, even Lionel Messi looks to be nearing the end of his decorated Barcelona stint. The 33-year-old Pique would be the last left legend from the previous era of Barcelona, who also is expected to part ways in the near future.

Ronald Koeman, who took over Barcelona’s charge ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, was already aware of the Blaugrana’s defensive crisis and which is why he wanted to bring Manchester City’s Eric Garcia to Camp Nou this summer. However, Barcelona failed to secure the deal for Garcia, whose current deal with the Premier League side is due to expire in 2021.

After the unsuccessful deal with Garcia, Koeman was left with four center-backs: Pique, Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti, and Ronald Araujo, with the latter being promoted from the B team. While the pair of Pique and Lenglet seemed fine, Umtiti suffers an injury more often than anyone else on the team and Araujo is still young and inexperienced.

After the loss to Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano, Barcelona have now dropped to 12th place in the 2020-21 La Liga table.