Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Philippe Coutinho and Aleix Vidal

Barcelona icon Xavi believes Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho would help the Blaugrana become even better if he were to join.

According to Sport (h/t the Liverpool Echo), the Catalan club are looking at bringing the Brazilian to the Camp Nou, where they envisage him linking up with compatriot Neymar, as well as fellow South Americans Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Xavi, speaking with Thomas Unsworth of Goal, believes Coutinho would be a fine capture for Barca.

“There are not many players that can improve Barcelona, but if you are asking me if he is one of them, on this form, I think he is,” said the legendary playmaker. “Technically he is very good. He would suit Barcelona's philosophy well.”

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Despite his desire to see the midfielder in the iconic Blaugrana jersey, Xavi, now of Al Sadd, believes that Coutinho shouldn’t be thinking about a transfer quite yet.

“When you play at the level he is there is always going to be talk, but for now he needs to ignore all that and stay focused, because I think Liverpool have a real chance this season,” said the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner.

There’s no doubt that Coutinho has added new levels of consistency to his game under Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, with goals and assists flowing freely in 2016-17. Squawka Football summed up the positive impact he’s had in the final third at Anfield:

Barcelona are well-stocked with attacking midfielders, including Andres Iniesta, Arda Turan, Denis Suarez, Rafinha and Andre Gomes. It means that any pursuit of Coutinho would be something of an indulgence, although potentially he has the talent to become the heir to Iniesta when the great man does hang up his boots.

Even so, prising Coutinho away from Liverpool will be tough, with Paul Joyce of the Times having noted recently there’s no escape clause in the player’s contract at Anfield. Additionally, he’s thriving as the main man on Merseyside; for all his talents, that’s not a position he’d occupy at Barca.

Aleix Vidal Denies Sevilla Offer

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Barcelona full-back Aleix Vidal has reportedly dismissed suggestions he called Sevilla director of football Monchi about making a return to the club.

That’s according to Sport, which suggested that Vidal “wanted to make it clear that at no moment has he been in contact with Monchi, nor anyone at Sevilla for that matter, about a potential transfer in the winter window.”

It had been reported by Radio Marca Sevilla (h/t Sport) that the 27-year-old had been in touch with his former employers about a return following a difficult time with the Blaugrana. So far this season, Vidal has made just two appearances for the club, with Sergi Roberto slotting in to replace Dani Alves at right-back.

As noted by Goal’s Ben Hayward last month, Vidal was deemed to be Alves’ successor, but his future looks bleak at the Camp Nou:

Although a determined footballer like Vidal will be keen to muscle his way into contention, his race does seem to be run under manager Luis Enrique. Subsequently, it’d be no great surprise to see the 27-year-old on the move in midseason.

After all, before joining Barca, Vidal was one of the most exciting right-sided players in La Liga with Sevilla, tearing up and down the flank with endeavour and incision. Those levels are still retrievable for him, although the longer he spends on the fringes at the Camp Nou, the more difficult it will be for the Spaniard to rediscover his best.