Lazio Forced to Sign a New Defender as Their Stalwart Could Be Out for the Season | OneFootball

Lazio could be slapped with a big blow as Patric could miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.

Ankle Injury

The 32-year-old has been out since the start of the new year. After picking up the knock, the Barcelona native returned to his homeland to seek treatment and medical consultation. But according to Il Messaggero (via Calciomercato), the outcome of his visit is causing great concern at Formello, as the tests detected a thickening in the tendon.

Season Over for Patric?

The Lazio stalwart is expected in the Italian capital on Monday where he and the club’s medical staff will decide the next steps. The Italian newspaper reveals that one of the options on the table could be undergoing surgery to repair the damage. Hence, the Aquile fear the player’s season could already be over.

Reinforcement Needed at Lazio

With Patric set for a potentially long layoff, Lazio could be forced to plunge into the market in search of an immediate replacement, as Marco Baroni cannot afford to challenge on three different fronts with only three central defenders in his ranks (Romagnoli, Gila and Gigot).

The Options

As the source mentions, Sevilla’s Kike Salas had been identified as a potential candidate for the role, but his legal troubles saw him getting arrested in recent days in the wake of a betting scandal, thus putting this operation to bed. The Biancocelesti have also been linked with other defenders in recent days, including Chelsea’s Renato Veiga and Leicester’s Wout Faes.