5 players Barcelona should pursue in the January transfer window

The summer transfer window proved to be futile for Barcelona as they had a miserable time landing their targets. The club's management came under immense pressure from fans and media alike for their below average negotiations, and their inability to renew the contracts of high-profile players like Messi and Iniesta.

As we approach the January transfer window, here are five players Barcelona should pursue to strengthen their squad:

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#5 Matthijs de Ligt (Centre-back, Ajax)

Barcelona want Matthijs de Ligt in January

The 18-year-old Dutch international already has 2 appearances for the senior national team. With Pique, Mascherano and Vermaelen all crossing the age of 30, Barca have turned their attention to one of Europe's hottest properties who has already earned 45 caps with Ajax at such a young age.

De Ligt has already made an impression at Ajax and the Catalans want to bring the defender to Camp Nou in January and nurture him into a player for the future.

The 6ft tall wonderkid will bring " young blood " to the Barca defence and would form a suitable back line along with Samuel Umtiti.

#4 Julian Draxler (Winger, Paris Saint-Germain)

Draxler is currently unhappy at PSG over his playing time

The versatile 24-year-old German moved to Paris Saint-Germain in January 2017 for £40 million. Draxler scored on all his debuts for the new club including the League, Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Draxler can play both as a winger and an attacking midfielder and was crucial in winning the Confederations Cup for Germany this year. Since the arrival of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Draxler has fallen out of Unai Emery's plans.

During the summer, Draxler's agent was spotted at the Barcelona Airport leading to speculation that the 24-year-old was unhappy and was considering a switch to Barcelona.

Although the move never happened, it was reported that Draxler was happy about the transfer and willing to enter negotiations, but Barca turned their attention to Coutinho.

Nevertheless, the Catalans should go after him in January as he brings a lot of excitement and goals to any side.

#3 Jean Michael Seri (Midfielder, Nice)

Seri can help improve Barca's midfield problems

Another embarrassment of the summer for Barcelona, was the move for Seri which collapsed due to the Nice board, who had earlier set the buyout clause at €40 million. In spite of this, the deal never went through as Nice representatives stated that:

"they have not yet set a price on Seri"

When Barca were willing to activate his buyout clause, Seri went public with his frustration of not joining his desired club and lashed out at the Nice management for demanding more money while not providing him with the only thing he had asked of: a move to Barcelona.

On the contrary, Nice's president accused Barcelona of "messing up" with Seri's head as he was left heartbroken after the deal collapsed.

Seri is a Central Midfielder, very much like his idol Xavi, who has a trait of creating genius passes for the Nice side.

Nicknamed the "African Xavi" with great short passing skills and a good provider of long balls to his front line, Seri is a distant shooter and dictates the tempo of the game.

Xavi admires the player to a great extent and even described him as "Barca DNA". Seri's arrival will provide options to the Barca midfield and he will compete with the likes of Rakitic, Paulinho and Sergi Roberto for his spot.

#2 Philippe Coutinho (Attacking midfielder, Liverpool)

Coutinho was desperate to sign for Barcelona in the summer

This deal was the transfer saga of the summer as Liverpool desperately hung on to Coutinho the whole summer. Coutinho was willing to do everything to seal the move to Camp Nou as he officially handed in his transfer request to force a move to his dream club.

Liverpool, on the other hand, was adamant not to let their best player leave even after a final bid of £118 million as they furnished a statement that said "We are not a selling club."

With Neymar's departure to PSG, Coutinho was a much-needed enforcement required by Barca. Now Barcelona are rumoured to once again pursue their summer target in January. Coutinho was hailed as Iniesta's successor, who would provide a burst of speed, creativity and stability to the Barca midfield, along with his free kick speciality.

In the 25-year-old Coutinho, Barca can expect a player for the future. Reports in Spain suggest that Liverpool will be open to negotiations, and maybe even agree to let their star man go.

Although, if Coutinho moves to Barca this January, he would not be able to take part in the UEFA Champions League, having already played in the competition with Liverpool this season.

#1 Timo Werner (Forward, RB Leipzig)

Is Timo Werner the answer to Barca's attacking problems?

The 21-year-old German has already attracted attention from top European clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich with his excellent run, by scoring 21 goals in 32 matches last season, while already performing well this season with 6 goals in 9 matches.

Not only is he good in front of goal but he also possesses speed and the playmaking technique which enables him to play even as a winger or an attacking midfielder, both of which Barcelona are in desperate need of.

With Ousmane Dembele injured and Iniesta reaching the peak of his career, Werner can provide options to Barca attack which they lack. With 30-year old Luis Suarez just scoring 2 goals this season and really struggling in front of goal, the Barca board should speed up their approach to find a replacement for the forward.

Werner is a versatile player who can play different attacking roles for the team. Reports from Germany suggest that Timo Werner is aware of Barca's interest and is willing to force a move to the Spanish side should they come knocking at Leipzig's door.