Barcelona Stars Reportedly Keen to See Club Secure Philippe Coutinho Transfer

Key players at Barcelona are reportedly keen to see Philippe Coutinho arrive at the club in the January transfer window.

According to Joaquim Piera of Sport, the Blaugrana dressing room wants to see the Catalan giants make some quality acquisitions midseason, and Coutinho has received unanimous backing.

It's noted that Paulinho, the Brazilian's international team-mate, and Luis Suarez, who played alongsIde Coutinho at Liverpool, are the midfielder's biggest admirers in the Barcelona squad.

Here's a look at how the story was reported, per Sport Witness:

"Through these two, the rest of the Barca players have come to agreement that Coutinho should be the top target," continued Piera. "The South American section, especially, know what he could bring. [Javier] Mascherano and [Lionel] Messi, for example, suffered against him one year ago in a 3-0 loss at the Mineirao."

In the Sport piece, it's also stated that Barcelona are hopeful an offer of €150 million (£133 million) in January would be enough to finally convince Liverpool to cash in on the playmaker.

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Barcelona were frustrated in their pursuit of the player ahead of the campaign. Despite Coutinho showing his intention to leave Anfield by handing in a transfer request, Liverpool rejected multiple bids for the former Inter Milan man.

Despite the summer of intense speculation, the Reds No. 10 has enjoyed an excellent start to season, settling into a role in the heart of the Liverpool midfield. Still, as relayed by the Selecao Brasileira Twitter account, Coutinho has been making a massive attacking contribution:

At times this season Liverpool have been irresistible in attack, with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and especially Mohamed Salah running amok against Premier League defences. 

The artistry of Coutinho in support of that threesome has been crucial to the way the Reds go forward. The midfielder links up wonderfully with his countryman Firmino, while his vision on the ball allows Mane and Salah to use their pace to devastating effect.

The way Coutinho knits attacks together seems to make him a sensible target for Barcelona in practice, especially with Andres Iniesta now in the twilight of his career. However, journalist Rafael Hernandez suggested in the summer the Liverpool man would fail to fill those massive shoes:

Even so, there's little to suggest Coutinho wouldn't be a big hit at the Camp Nou if he was to arrive in January or at the end of the season.

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The Brazilian meshes delicacy and power so well in midfield. His ability to thread passes into tiny gaps means defences can never settle, while his penchant for hammering shots at goal from distance means he must be closed down within range.

While Barcelona will continue to covet him, it would be a shock if Liverpool were willing to do any deal in January with so much still to play for in 2017-18.