Barca transfer plans REVEALED: Nolito, Koke & Marquinhos targeted to lead 2016 overhaul

Barcelona are ready to return to the transfer market. Following a year in which they have been unable to register new players due to their transfer ban, the Catalan club are prepared to sign again and have been busy identifying targets for 2016. The Blaugrana brought in Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal in the summer, but both will have to wait until January to make their debuts. And there could be more movement at Camp Nou in the winter window after technical secretary Robert Fernandez said this week: "We are looking at it. There will be no problems signing new players." Still seeking support for Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez following the summer sale of Pedro to Chelsea, Nolito remains a top target for Barca. "The winter window is not easy," Fernandez added. "We will look at the possibility of bringing someone in." And on the Celta Vigo forward, he added: "Nolito is a great player and we are watching him every Sunday." Nolito's case is a special one. In Vigo, it is taken as a given that the player's release clause is €25 million, even though he has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract. The agreement is in place, however, and club sources assure there is no way the player will break that accord. For his part, the Spain striker has said he "will only leave Celta to join Barcelona." Whether that happens in January, though, remains to be seen. The situation in midfield looks even more complicated. Barca have signed Arda Turan but still need a creative hub and Atletico Madrid's Koke remains their favourite. Two summers ago, Atleti ignored a €60m bid and Barca turned to Ivan Rakitic instead. The Croatian is a fantastic footballer, of course, but he is not an orchestrator in the Xavi mould like Koke, who is still admired by Barca and remains the club's first choice. Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho is another alternative. The Brazilian, who previously played in the Catalan capital on loan with Espanyol, operates further forward but has the blessing of Neymar, his international team-mate, and has come on considerably over the past year. It seems unlikely that both will arrive and if either of the two move to Camp Nou next summer, it is likely to be alongside a midfielder who can stamp some character upon the team and the two main options are Marco Verratti of PSG and Juventus star Paul Pogba. FULL STORY | Fernandez: Barca are watching Nolito Both will be extremely expensive and are vital in the systems of their respective teams. Verratti's explosion over the last year has seen him scouted by many of Europe's top teams and he revealed in an interview with Goal recently that he is flattered by Barca's interest. An excellent passer who is also capable in defence, the Italian is admired by the Catalan club's board. Pogba, meanwhile, is a strong character who has assumed an even more important role at Juventus following the summer sale of Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich. His price, around €80m, is also prohibitive, but Barca will have to pay big if they want to bring in any of their midfield targets over the next year. There will also be changes in defence. Marc Bartra and Jeremy Mathieu have a season in which to prove themselves following a shaky start this term, with both looking below the required standard to be relied upon as starters at this level right now. PSG's Marquinhos remains Barca's favourite for a defensive reinforcement. The Brazilian is young, fast, with good tactical awareness and is adept at bringing the ball out from the back. He can also play as a full-back, having done so both at Roma and for his current club. He will not come cheaply either, especially as time starts to catch up with Thiago Silva. Last summer, PSG rejected a €40m offer from Barca, who will be back in for the defender next July. If Barca are unable to bring in the Brazilian, there are other options, such as Tottenham's Jan Verthongen and Inter's Geoffrey Kondogbia. Barca will also look at Dani Alves' position again in the summer to see if another right-back is needed - even though they have Aleix Vidal for that position from January onwards. Should they decide to add another, Arsenal's former La Masia graduate Hector Bellerin will be in the frame along with Fabinho, who is enjoying an excellent season at Monaco. All of those are players admired by coach Luis Enrique and his technical staff. "If I had detected there was no harmony with Luis Enrique, I wouldn't have accepted the position," Fernandez said. "The signings, in the end, are for Barcelona and they will be players we both like because we have already spoken about lots of players and we are in agreement." In any case, only Nolito has a chance of joining in January. The strikeforce is the priority at the moment and Uefa only allow three signings in the winter window, two of which have already been taken up by Arda and Aleix Vidal who will be registered in 2016 despite their arrival last summer. So after a year without new players in their first team, Barca are ready to sign again in 2016. And once they have decided on a target, it could all happen quickly. "If you really want a player," Fernandez added. "You don't need too much time to reach an agreement."