Paris Saint-Germain set out to wreck Barcelona plan to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool

Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to block Barcelona's efforts to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in January and will attempt to bring the Brazilian to the French capital themselves, according to latest reports in Spain.

Barcelona made a string of attempts to sign Coutinho during the summer transfer window. But despite three bids, the last reportedly standing at £119m, and the playmaker handing in a transfer request, Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Groups stood firm and held their ground, with Barcelona suggesting after the transfer window had closed the Premier League side had demanded £180m.

While Coutinho has been reintegrated into the first-team at Anfield, work has reportedly been done behind the scenes to keep the move to the Nou Camp alive. SPORT claim Coutinho's representatives recently travelled to Boston to hold talks with Fenway Sports Group, making it clear the Brazil international still has his heart set on the move, either in January or next summer, with FSG said to have softened their hard-line stance on the move taking place.

The Catalan-based publication suggests PSG are ready to enter the fray again with the intention of denying Barcelona their biggest transfer target. The French giants were briefly linked with a big-money move for the 25-year-old during the summer, efforts partially prompted by Neymar, who was keen to see his friend and countryman come and join him and the French capital.

But that interest was dropped when Coutinho made it clear he only has eyes for Barcelona. But Sport now suggest club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, sporting director Antero Henrique and sports coordinator Maxwell are all committed to signing the Brazilian once again.

Coutinho remains a priority signing for Barcelona but Mundo Deportivo recently claimed they will offer the same €80m (£70.8m, $94m) plus €30m in add-ons which the Merseysiders rejected in the summer. PSG's financial weight could further complicate their pursuit, despite a move for the Liverpool star likely to prompt renewed calls for Uefa to investigate the French club's financial activity have already spent €222m on Neymar and pledged to spend €180m on Kylian Mbappe.

Despite a chaotic summer transfer window that saw club president Josep Maria Bartomeu faced with calls to resign, Barcelona have recorded a perfect start to the new La Liga campaign, winning seven games from seven despite losing Ousmane Dembele to a long-term injury.