Barcelona will be delving into the transfer market in January to find a player that can fill the hole in their attacking ranks which has been there since Neymar called an end to his spell at the Camp Nou.
Following Neymar's departure, Barcelona have been lacking something in attack. Since the start of the season, the link between Iniesta and Messi has been lost, because the previously ever-present Brazilian star decided to move to Paris Saint-Germain.
And a few months into the season, it is clear that the Catalan giants are missing a player like Neymar in the team. He has something which no other player in the squad can offer to Valverde.
That is why the current La Liga leaders want to make a blockbuster signing in January. Although Barcelona may be top of the league table, which has helped to calm nerves at the Camp Nou, Valverde remains unconvinced by the link between the midfield and the attacking line in his team.
Everyone at the 'azulgrana' club is aware they need to sign some reinforcements to keep their good form going in final and decisive part of the season, when fatigue starts to affect the players with the most minutes.
And who better than Philippe Coutinho to be the 'new Neymar' for Barcelona. According to Spanish publication 'Marca', Barca continue to follow the movements of the Liverpool star very closely. Although the 25-year-old wouldn't be able to play in the Champions League for the Spanish outfit given that he has already played in the competition for the Reds, he would be an ideal signing for the rest of the league campaign.
Coutinho is the ideal attacking player, capable of playing in numerous positions, moving freely in the area and offering the key pass to the other forwards. Barca want him and he wants Barca, as he demonstrated last summer. That being said, Valverde will have to be willing to pay at least 120 million euros for Coutinho's services...
However, the Liverpool playmaker is not the only player on the wishlist of the powers that be at the Camp Nou. Lyon's attacking midfielder, Nabil Fekir, has also attracted interest from Catalonia, as well as Germany internationals Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer from Schalke and CSKA's Aleksandr Golovin, according to the aforementioned source.
Not to mention former Real Madrid stars Angel di Maria and Mesut Ozil, two top class players with enough experience to wear the Barcelona shirt. The Barcelona transfer wishlist is certainly full of names who could be worth a lot of money to the club.