5 reasons why Barcelona want Philippe Coutinho in January instead of the summer

#2 Coutinho's price will go up after the World Cup

Brazil are one of the favourites for the 2018 World Cup

This is one of the primary reasons why Barcelona do not want to delay a deal any further. They already had three bids rejected last summer - the highest of which was £115m - and that price has already increased in the past four months alone!

As mentioned earlier, Coutinho's 12 goals and 8 assists have seen Liverpool compete for a top four spot while it has also carried them into the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Reds topped their group in Europe and a lot of it was down to Coutinho's 5 goals and 2 assists in four starts.

This kind of form makes him an automatic starter in Brazil's squad when they travel to Russia for the 2018 World Cup. Having earned 18 caps for Brazil in the past couple of years, he also has 7 goals for the Selecao.

"I don't know which club he's going to. He'll decide it. But the Brazilian squad won't lose him." - Tite

Brazil are expected to qualify for the knockout stages after they were drawn in a group alongside Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Serbia. They are also one of the favourites after becoming the first team to qualify for the World Cup.

They easily topped the table in the South American (CONMEBOL) qualifiers where the Brazilian playmaker scored 4 goals. Expect him to put in some memorable performances that will only see his market value increase - which is exactly what Barcelona want to avoid.