Wolverhampton Wanderers have been credited with an interest in Atletico Madrid defender Felipe recently and the Brazilian could prove to be the next Roger Johnson at Molineux.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the veteran centre-back could be signed by Julen Lopetegui next month as the Spaniard looks to add to the defensive options at his new club.

Centre-back has certainly been a problem area for the Old Gold so far this campaign, with only Max Kilman, Nathan Collins and the inexperienced Toti and Yerson Mosquera naturals in that position.

Bruno Lage made the baffling decision to release Romain Saiss, loan out Conor Coady and sell Willy Boly to leave Wolves criminally low on depth at centre-back, which led Ruben Neves to feature in the position earlier in the season when Collins was suspended.

Therefore, it is clear that a new defender is needed in the January transfer window but signing a 33-year-old who has struggled for regular game time in recent seasons feels like a recipe for disaster for Lopetegui.

The Atletico Madrid man has managed just three appearances under Diego Simeone so far this campaign, while his performances in the Champions League last season saw him average a woeful 5.97 rating from WhoScored, so it seems clear he is no longer on the top of his game.

He would also prove to be an expensive option for the Old Gold as, even if his transfer fee is a relatively small one, he currently earns £125k per week at the Metropolitano Stadium, which would make him the top earner at Molineux if offered a similar wage by Jeff Shi in January.

There would certainly be similarities between a deal for Felipe and the one that saw Roger Johnson join the Old Gold from Birmingham City in 2011.

The centre-back, who earned the unfortunate label of being a relegation specialist in his career, would captain the Old Gold as they were relegated from the Premier League and Championship, having arrived as an experienced option in the summer of 2011, with Wolves finishing bottom in his first season at the club.

Although Lopetegui certainly needs more experience at the back, signing an expensive has-been in Felipe feels like a huge risk by Shi given the precarious situation Wolves currently find themselves in.