Barcelona legend Rivaldo says Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho is exactly the type of player the Catalans should be looking to sign in the future.

Coutinho joined Liverpool in 2013 from Inter Milan for £8.5million and the attacking midfielder has become one of the most talented players in the world.

The Brazil international is the driving force for the Reds once again this season and his performances have kept the team in the hunt for the Premier League title.

He has scored five goals from 14 league outings and many believe his tally would have been much higher at this point if it were not for an ankle injury.

The 24-year-old recently returned to competitive action and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to get his talisman back into the starting line-up.

The title challengers are back in action on Saturday when they take on Swansea City at Anfield and the hosts are 1.22 favourites to win, with the draw priced at 6.00 while the visitors are 11.00 outsiders.

Coutinho has been attracting huge interest from clubs across Europe, with the likes of Paris Saint-German and Real Madrid all rumoured to be keeping a close eye on him.

Rivaldo, who played for Barca between 1997-2002, believes his former club would benefit from the addition of his compatriot if they could secure his signature.

“I think that this transfer might happen because Barcelona is always going to attract the best,” he said.

“He is one of the players who stands out and I believe that this transfer – if he goes to Barcelona – would be a good thing for Barcelona, for sure. He is a player who would definitely help Barcelona.”