Much has been made of Neymar's potential transfer to Barcelona. While some executives have commented on the desire to bring the Brazilian to the Camp Nou, the players have not openly spoken about the possibility.
Current Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez recently broke the silence with his thoughts on the possibility of bringing in the 21-year old.
"Players like him can fit in at any club," Xavi told reporters Wednesday. "But decisions to sign players are made by others. Whomever arrives at the club, they will be welcomed with open arms."
He also praised the Brazilian phenom on his abilities and skills.
"But Neymar is an amazing player; there is something different about him," he added. "For defenders, he is very tricky to contain and he is excellent when on his own in front of the keeper.
"He looks like he could be one of the big names in world football."
Prior to Xavi's comments, Barcelona has stated that Neymar is welcome to the club.
We will be ready to pounce whenever he decides to leave," said Barcelona representative Andre Cury in a radio interview. "Messi, Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta are all awaiting him with open arms. Neymar coming to Barcelona will put an end to two types of over-dependence: dependence on Neymar at Santos and over-dependence on Messi at Barcelona as we would then have another player at his level."
Recent rumors had Neymar heading to Bayern Munich in the summer.
"I have this information first hand. Neymar has signed for Bayern Munich. It's already a done deal," former Santos official Vicente Cascione wrote on his blog. "I am not speculating here. This information is irrefutable. From August this year on, the player will be part of Bayern's squad."
However Munich fired back and called the rumors "speculation" and "nonsense."
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
