Liverpool Transfer News: Latest Philippe Coutinho Rumours, Yan Dhanda Signs

Barcelona are reportedly still following Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho and are ready to “intensify” their interest in the Brazil international, according to the latest rumours.

The Daily Express (h/t the Mirror's Aaron Flanagan) claims the Catalans are considering making a move for the midfielder and are already planning where he will play in their team.

As reported by Lluis Miguelsanz of Sport, the Blaugrana have virtually no money to spend, but that isn't stopping the gossip merchants from linking players to the La Liga giants.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Coutinho has been hampered by a number of niggling injuries during the 2015-16 campaign, but when healthy, he's been Liverpool's top creative force in midfield and in front of goal. Per WhoScored.com, he has scored five goals and added three assists in 13 Premier League starts.

As shared by This Is Anfield, he's been recognised for his fantastic impact, despite his injury problems:

His strong form was always going to lead to plenty of transfer speculation, and the link with Barcelona is an easy one to make.

Per Duncan Castles of the Sunday Times (h/t Metro's Rebecca Coles), Coutinho is good friends with Barcelona star Neymar, and the Ballon d'Or finalist has already spoken of his desire to play with his friend in Catalonia.

Liverpool have little to fear, however. As touched on previously, the Blaugrana's poor financial state means they can't buy an expensive player like Coutinho without selling a high-prized star of their own.

Sport Witness previously explained why links with Everton's John Stones could be dismissed, and the situation with Coutinho is no different:

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The problem for Barcelona is that whilst their fans may be saying YES to the idea of buying Stones from Everton, the club's current financial situation says a very clear NO. Barcelona are struggling to balance the books and their ever pressing debts, big pay deals given out to the biggest stars means that something has to give.

More commercial income is being looked for and that could quite possibly include the naming rights of any new stadium, whilst the wish of some supporters to drop Qatar from their kits is one unlikely to be fulfilled. The Catalan media have for months been detailing how Luis Enrique must satisfy himself only with a bargain purchase to replace Pedro in january, so any idea of paying for Stones is frankly unthinkable.

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If Barcelona can't afford Stones, they certainly won't be able to afford Coutinho—a player so important to the Reds' future that Liverpool will demand an astronomical transfer fee.

The Catalans don't have a need for another attacking midfielder, and they simply can't afford to waste any money on a player they don't desperately need right now.

Yan Dhanda Signs First Professional Contract

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Liverpool youngster Yan Dhanda signed his first contract with the club just days after turning 17, committing his future to the Reds for the coming two-and-a-half years, per the Daily Mail's Simon Jones.

The former West Bromwich Albion starlet could become the first player of Indian descent to break into the Liverpool first team, having already trained with the side in the past. Dhanda is considered one of the top talents in Liverpool's academy, and a chance to impress with the seniors could already be close.

As you can tell from this video, his potential has been known for some time:

The England youth international has mainly played as an attacking midfielder of late, in a role not too dissimilar to that of Coutinho.

While the contract is a fantastic step for Dhanda, fans shouldn't start getting too carried away just yet. The teenager still needs to add some much-needed weight to his small frame and clean up his passing before he's ready to make the step up to the next level, but he has plenty of time to do so.

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