All is well over at the Nou Camp these days, with Ernesto Valverde’s side through to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Sporting Lisbon last night and currently sitting pretty at the top of La Liga.

However, Barcelona are expected to splash the cash in the New Year with Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho being their chief target.

The Catalan giants were criticised after spending a large period of the summer chasing Coutinho as a replacement for fellow countryman Neymar, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain this summer for a world record transfer fee.

The Reds showed great resilience to retain the services of our Brazilian star and rebuffed each Barcelona offer, insisting that the midfielder was not for sale. Coutinho, however, was adamant about moving to Spain but was forced to stay put after our manager Jurgen Klopp insisted he would not be going anywhere.

Since the move didn’t materialise, Coutinho has struggled to find his best form. However, of late, the playmaker has regained his form and again illustrated himself as a pivotal element in manager Klopp’s setup. He was just sublime in the 5-1 victory over Brighton last weekend in the Premier League and continues to flourish in a Liverpool jersey.

That being said, adding Coutinho to the squad in January would provide a mid-season boost in overall quality for Barcelona, who are also through to the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.

With the Catalan outfit set to make a move for the Brazilian, ex-Reds striker Luis Suarez, however, insists he remains uninformed of any potential transfer deals at Camp Nou.

Suarez and Coutinho maintain a close bond from their time at Liverpool, having spent 18 months at Anfield together. It is believed the Uruguayan has urged the Barcelona hierarchy to step up their efforts in luring Coutinho away from Anfield in January.

Yet, Suarez says he is unaware of Barcelona’s possible signings or departures.

“There is a lot of speculation at the moment about players who can come and others who can leave, but we remain unaware of this,” Suarez was quoted in a report by Marca (h/t Daily Star).

The Uruguay striker, who spent three years at Anfield before moving to Barcelona, also defended the club’s summer transfer dealings, saying:

“Neymar is a different and special player who expected many things.”

“Different players who also contribute a lot have arrived, such as Gerard Deulofeu, who had already been at the club.

“Also Paulinho, who has quietened many critics and is performing at a very high level since he arrived,” Suarez added.

It is good that Suarez is unaware of the happenings regarding the transfer and it is probably because sometimes the board does the dealings silently behind the screens. Irrespective of whether Barcelona try to sign him or not, the point is that Coutinho is crucial to our team and we have to keep hold of him. Case closed.