Liverpool Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Philippe Coutinho and Dylan Asonganyi

Barcelona will reportedly renew their efforts to sign Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho. The Catalan club will bid again for the playmaker next summer, despite seeing several offers turned down this year.

Even so, Barca manager Ernesto Valverde will try to sign Coutinho in 2018, according to Brazilian source UOL (h/t Alex Wood of the Daily Star). The Blaugrana's willingness to revisit a potential deal for Coutinho makes sense, but so does Liverpool's reluctance to sell.

At his best, Coutinho is a classy No. 10 who can light up matches in the final third. The South American schemer's passing technique, eye for goal and deadly delivery from set pieces make him the creative fulcrum of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's team.

Yet those same qualities also make Coutinho a natural fit for Barcelona, a club where playing attractive and expansive football is a must, not a bonus, in the pursuit of major trophies.

It's why Barca were so keen to sign the 25-year-old this summer. Wood noted how "Barcelona were willing to cough up around £130 million to secure his signature."

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The player himself seemed keen on the idea of moving to the Camp Nou. Coutinho showed his willingness by submitting a transfer request on the eve of the new season, per BBC Sport.

German publication Der Spiegel (h/t MailOnline's Danny Gallagher) recently acquired emails detailing the major investment Barca were prepared to make in Coutinho: "In the leaked information, details reveal Barcelona had guaranteed the player €115 million (£102 million) for a five-year contract, with €10 million (£8.9 million) promised to his agent should a transfer fee for the player be negotiated under the £100 million mark."

Gallagher also noted how the same emails revealed Liverpool's insistence not to let Coutinho go: "In an email, Sporting Director Michael Edwards wrote to Oscar Grau, the Chairman of the Board of Management of FC Barcelona, stating clearly: 'Unfortunately, Philippe can not be sold at any price and, as you know, he has recently extended his contract with us.'"

It's a stance the Anfield club must stick to next summer.

Coutinho has started Liverpool's last two matches, the 3-2 win away to Leicester City in the Premier League, as well as the 1-1 draw against Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.

The Brazilian continued his run of providing the flourish for Liverpool's attacking play, per Squawka Football:

Keeping Coutinho will be as big a priority for Liverpool next summer as it was this year.

Finding a natural and prolific centre-forward is also near the top of Klopp's to-do list. It perhaps explains why the Reds have been showing interest in 16-year-old MK Dons striker Dylan Asonganyi.

Liverpool and archrivals Manchester United, along with fellow Premier League sides Arsenal and West Ham United, have all been watching Asonganyi's progress, according to Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mirror.

Beating the competition to Asonganyi would merely be the latest attempt by Liverpool to solve an ongoing weakness at striker. Roberto Firmino is a talented and creative player, but he is an inconsistent finisher and lacks the strength and direct pace needed to truly lead the line.

It doesn't help Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings have both struggled with injury woes. Klopp tried to fix the problem this summer by signing Chelsea academy graduate Dominic Solanke.

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However, Solanke is still just 20 and too raw to start regularly just yet. What Liverpool can count on is developing Solanke's talent, something the Anfield club could do with Asonganyi.

One thing Liverpool would find much harder to do is adequately replace a midfielder with Coutinho's match-winning talents.