Barcelona are hoping to entice a Liverpool player to move to Spain this month, yet Jurgen Klopp’s reluctance to allow an unusual trade may force a raid on Tottenham to be reconsidered.

Barcelona are having a difficult season, with Xavi’s side behind fierce rivals Real Madrid by seven points in the LaLiga title fight. To make matters worse for Barcelona, Girona are seven points ahead of the Catalan giants.

Barcelona’s financial troubles are well documented, and their transfer philosophy has shifted from spectacular coups to canny loans and free agent pick-ups.

Xavi has also relied heavily on the club’s youth academy, with players such as Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal rising to prominence.

Gavi, another player in the same mold, sustained a season-ending ACL injury while playing for Spain in November.

To compensate for the absence, Barcelona president Joan Laporta indicated that a replacement will be signed on loan in January.

“If we manage to make the (financial) fair play work, the idea is to have another midfielder to compensate for the loss of Gavi,” Laporta said in a recent interview.

“It would be a loan until the end of the season, similar to what we did with Edgar Davids years ago.” I believe we can make room for a few of agreements we’re working on before the end of the year.”

Davids, who was on loan from Juventus, was a standout during his six-month time at the Camp Nou in the second part of the 2003/04 season.

The Dutchman’s tenacious performances helped Barcelona comfortably qualify for the Champions League.

According to a new report from the Mirror, Barcelona hopes to replicate that feat by signing Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara this month.

Thiago can follow in the footsteps of Davids, but the transaction makes little sense for Liverpool

The veteran Spaniard, 32, has yet to play for the Reds this season due to a series of injuries. Thiago, on the other hand, is said to be close to returning to full training and could be ready to play by the end of January.

“Thiago is in a very good moment, but we just have to make sure we don’t use him too early,” Klopp remarked recently of the midfielder’s development.

According to the Mirror, Barcelona is hoping to sign Thiago on a short-term loan. For a multitude of reasons, such a transfer would be detrimental to Liverpool.

First and foremost, Wataru Endo is currently on overseas service with Japan. Dominik Szoboszlai has also recently had a hamstring injury.

Liverpool is also still in the League Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League. As a result, Klopp will be largely relied on his squad’s depth from now on, and Thiago, if fit, will be expected to play.

Finally, Thiago’s contract expires at the end of the current season. Thiago would leave Liverpool for nothing if he was loaned out for the rest of the season.

Unsurprisingly, the Mirror reports that Klopp and co are adamantly opposed to loaning Thiago to his previous club Barcelona and will fight any sale.

Tottenham’s plan B for Barcelona?

If that route is closed, the source suggests that Barcelona could relaunch a bid for Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso.

Barcelona has long admired the Argentine, who has only played 456 minutes for Spurs this season.

Furthermore, with James Maddison on the verge of returning to fitness, Lo Celso’s chances of getting more game time are set to dim.

The Mirror cites Spurs’ lack of European football as one of the reasons they may be willing to loan Lo Celso out.

Over the summer, Barcelona attempted to sign Lo Celso, but Spurs refused to play ball. Most reports predict that Barcelona’s renewed attempt to buy the 27-year-old this month will likewise fail, but only time will tell.