The Catalan club's interest in Philippe Coutinho is expected to resurface in January as they plan a bid Liverpool will finally accept. However, two first-team stars are strongly against the Brazilian's arrival.
Liverpool blocked Coutinho's exit in the summer, insisting he was not for sale at any price, but Barcelona are prepared to insist for the 25-year-old playmaker in the winter transfer window.
However, not everybody at the Camp Nou is on board with the club's plans to renew interest in Coutinho, who already came close to joining Barca in August. As revealed by Spanish publication 'Diario Gol', Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic are opposed to Barcelona signing the Liverpool star.
Ongoing talk about Coutinho's impending arrival reportedly upsets the two heavyweights in the Barcelona dressing room, who fear it could cut down their playing time. Their concerns have been conveyed with Iniesta leading the rebellion against Barca's transfer intentions.
The Spaniard, who turns 34 in May, would be strongly affected by the addition of Coutinho to the squad, due to the Brazilian's tendency to drift to the left-hand channel where Iniesta feels most comfortable.
Competition in Barcelona's midfield is fierce enough as it is, with the likes of Paulinho, Sergi Roberto, Denis Suarez and Andre Gomes also battling for a place in th starting lineup. However, Coutinho's desire to move to the Camp Nou is showing no signs of diminishing.