Barcelona Transfer News: Fresh Philippe Coutinho, Denis Suarez Rumours

Barcelona will reportedly be keeping a keen eye on Thursday's UEFA Europa League clash between Liverpool and Villarreal with the club's sporting director, Robert Fernandez, set to be in attendance at El Madrigal to scout Philippe Coutinho and Denis Suarez.

Per Sport's Lluis Miguelsanz, Liverpool's Coutinho "is liked by the [Catalan] club's technical staff," and Fernandez will cast his eye over the Brazilian to see if he is worth moving for in the summer.

Meanwhile, Miguelsanz added former Barca B attacker Suarez—who moved to Villarreal in 2015—is set to be re-signed by the Blaugrana at the end of the season. 

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Barca inserted a buy-back clause into the agreement that saw him join the Yellow Submarine, and the club can reportedly take him back to the Camp Nou in the summer for around £2.5 million, according to the Mirror's Ed Malyon.

Suarez has played a vital role in Villarreal's attack this season as they have all but sealed a spot in La Liga's top four, making 31 top-flight appearances, scoring four goals and providing four assists, per WhoScored.com.

He has also netted once and laid on six assists in 11 appearances as Villarreal have made it to the last four of the Europa League—see some of his season highlights below:

Given his immense potential, it is little surprise that Barca are looking to activate their option to buy him back for less than £3 million.

He is only going to improve as he gets more experience and could provide decent backup for Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, as he can play on either flank or up front. 

Per sports writer Andrew Jerell Jones, the Blaugrana's lack of depth in attack behind MSN has been a concern for some time, and it showed during Barca's recent slump:

Bringing back Suarez could go some way to solving that problem, as could recruiting Coutinho, one of Liverpool's most effective attacking players.

Both a genuine goalscoring threat and effective creator, the 23-year-old has previously been touted as an ideal fit for Barca by compatriot Neymar. "I think there are many players with great qualities that could be playing for Barcelona," Neymar said, per Sky Sports. "One of them is Coutinho. He is a great player and his style suits Barcelona."

Coutinho would undoubtedly be tempted by a switch to the Camp Nou, where he would effectively be guaranteed titles and the opportunity to play in the Champions League—far from a guarantee at Liverpool at the moment.

However, paradoxically, if he does indeed impress Fernandez against Villarreal, he could push Liverpool closer to a Champions League spot next season by increasing their chances of winning the Europa League, a factor that would likely make him less inclined to leave Anfield.

Furthermore, Coutinho's current contract with Liverpool runs until 2020, and the Reds would be loath to let him go considering he is one of their star players.