Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has set his sights on four big-name players as he looks to boost his squad in January - in order to keep Lionel Messi happy.
Messi is said to have been disappointed by a number of the club's attacking signings in recent years, with the likes of Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer among those who have reportedly underwhelmed the Argentine superstar.
The £96million capture of Ousmane Dembele met Messi's approval, but the Frenchman tore a hamstring in his first league start and is only now nearing a return to action.
And despite winning eleven of twelve La Liga games so far this season, Valverde believes he needs to bring in at least one marquee signing to help persuade Messi to stay at the Nou Camp, with whispers of him leaving at the end of the season refusing to go away.
Diario Gol claim these are the four players Valverde believes will convince Barca's all time top scorer to commit his long-term future to the club.
Philippe Coutinho
Despite failing in their bid to bring Coutinho to Spain over the summer, Barcelona are expected to test Liverpool's resolve once again with a nother big money offer said to be in the pipeline.
The Reds firmly rejected the Catalan's advances, but Coutinho is believed to still be keen on a switch to the Nou Camp and could push for a move again after submitting a transfer request in August.
Jurgen Klopp is unlikely to sanction the sale of the Brazilian in the middle of the season, but that won't deter Barca who are determined to eventually get their man and are desperate to see him combine with fellow South American Messi.
Thomas Lemar
The France international was strongly linked with both Arsenal and Liverpool during the summer, but ended up staying with the Ligue 1 champions and is now rumoured to be on Valverde's hit list.
He hasn't enjoyed the best start to the season, only finding the net once, but at 22 years old remains one of the most exciting young players in Europe.
Lemar could be used as a like for like alternative to record signing Dembele, and playing as part of a trio alongside someone with his talent could be an enticing prospect for Messi.
Mesut Ozil
With his contract up at the end of the season, Arsenal star Ozil could be a cheaper alternative to Coutinho with Barca reported to be weighing up a cut price £17.5 million bid.
If they can wait until the end of the season, Ozil could even sign a pre-contract agreement in January that would see him move to the club on a free transfer, and it is not expected that he will agree a new deal in North London.
The Germany international is often a divisive player at the Emirates, but at his best is a world class player and after breaking records for assists made during his last stint in Spain the prospect of him teeing up Messi could be a tantalising one for the La Liga leaders.
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