Barcelona will prioritise a move for Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia over Lyon's Memphis Depay after Gerard Pique picked up a long term injury, reports claim.
Manager Ronald Koeman was said to be keen to be reunited with Depay, who he worked with during his time as Holland boss, with Barcelona pulling out of a last minute deal to sign him in September.
The Catalan outfit had been expected to try again in January for Depay, whose deal at the Ligue 1 side expires next summer, but the financially stricken outfit are now shifting their focus to Garcia after losing defender Gerard Pique to a cruciate knee ligament injury, according to Goal.
The problem usually gives a player a few months on the sidelines, meaning Koeman will need reinforcements at the back - prompting the club to focus their efforts on Garcia, the report adds, with Barca pursuing him for some time.
They had multiple bids rejected for the 19-year-old in the last transfer window, with Manchester City valuing him higher than a reported £18m that was offered - despite his own contract expiring at the end of the season.
Garcia, who started his career at Barcelona before moving to Man City in 2017, has confirmed he has no intention of renewing his deal, with Pep Guardiola even admitting defeat in the bid to convince him to commit his future.
The defender said: 'It is true, I have told the club I do not intend to extend my contract beyond 2021. I am focused on next season with City.'
Speaking about Garcia's contract situation earlier this year, Guardiola said: 'We want it (a renewal) but he doesn't want to extend it, so I imagine he wants to play in another place.'
Barcelona have been crippled by financial problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic and are looking to cut down their wage bill to secure the club's future - thwarting their hopes of lining up multiple transfer targets.
They will be looking to offload a handful of players to generate more cash for Koeman's transfer budget in January, with Ousmane Dembele and Martin Braithwaite some of the stars who have been mooted with an exit.
Should Barcelona hone in on their move for Garcia, they might look to sign Depay next summer instead, when they can snap him up for free. Speaking last month, the 26-year-old admitted he was 'pretty close' to joining the Nou Camp on deadline day.
'Yes, it was pretty close,' he said. 'We don't have to go into all the details, but indeed we were nearly done. Unfortunately, certain rules stopped it. I believe that everything in my life happens for a reason. If it has to happen, it will happen'.