Neymar awaits Paulinho's arrival with open arms
Neymar had no qualms in declaring how keen he was to see his friend and Brazil team-mate Paulinho join him at Barcelona during a Nike publicity event in Brazil.
"I hope Paulinho signs for Barca. Paulinho is my friend and he's a great player, everyone would welcome him with open arms. He's got a lot of quality and everyone has seen his performances for the 'seleçao'", Neymar explained.
It was obvious that the Barcelona forward is hoping that his club can seal a deal for the Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder as soon as possible.
The two players are team-mates with Brazil but they are also very close friends and no doubt they would both be very happy should a move materialise.
Paulinho admitted on Saturday that he was "obviously thinking about Barcelona" amid their continued interest in his services.
Though with one bid having reportedly already been rejected, it remains to be seen if the player's current side will let him go.