Barcelona new signing opens the door for Neymar: “All players who contribute are welcome”

Speaking in an interview with Gerard Romero, Barcelona new signing Oriol Romeu has claimed that he would welcome a player like Neymar to the club.

The Spanish midfielder arrived at the club earlier this summer from Girona and has already settled in well, impressing with his performances in pre-season.

Romeu’s displays mean he is pretty much guaranteed to start as the defensive midfielder when the Blaugrana start the new season against Getafe later this week.

Building up to the game, the former Chelsea and Southampton midfielder discussed various topics during the interview, one of which was the links to Neymar.

The 31-year-old PSG superstar is keen on a move back to Barça, with recent reports even suggesting that he has already agreed terms over a two-year contract.

Talking about the possibility of Neymar’s arrival, Romeu said: “Regarding Neymar, all players who contribute are welcome to join.

“We’ll see if the club decides to go for him or go for another option.”

On his own transfer to Barcelona from Girona, Romeu said that he never thought such a move would be possible when the summer window began.

“When the transfer window began, I thought it was impossible to join Barça. I’m very excited. The feelings I’m getting are very positive. You know that you are joining a club where the only thing that counts is winning,” he said.

Romeu also spoke about the good balance of youth and experience in the squad, while also praising some of the youngsters coming through the ranks at La Masia.

“There is a nice balance between young and more experienced players. I see the young players coming in as hungry,” Romeu exclaimed.

“Lamine [Yamal] and Fermín [Lopez] have to be given freedom because they have shown that they can contribute.”

On his adaptation to the new team and what manager Xavi expects of him, Romeu said: “The coach wants to have a lot of possession. It’s important to keep a good structure and help the creative players.

“I’m more positional and I think I can bring more balance to the team.”

On whether he had received any tips from Sergio Busquets, the man who he is supposed to replace in the squad, Romeu replied:

“I haven’t spoken to Busi but I’m happy to listen to any advice he wants to give me. I often watched Barça because of him.”

Looking forward to his second official debut with Barcelona, Romeu admitted that there were nerves ahead of the game against Getafe, as he said:

“Of course, there are nerves before making your debut. Every game is tough and Getafe with [Jose] Bordalás will be a good battle. If you want to win championships you have to win these wars.”

Talking about his best position in midfield, the 31-year-old said: “I’ve played my best football as a single pivot. However, I like to adapt to what’s available.”

Romeu’s former Girona teammate, Arnau Martinez, is a player that has been linked with Barcelona to reinforce the right-back slot. And the midfielder praised the former La Masia trainee, saying:

“Arnau Martínez has great potential. I have always told him to keep working because his time will come. He is a great player and I have a great friendship with him.

“Arnau Martínez has a lot of talent. I have always told him to keep working hard because he will go far, but time will tell. He’s a player I’d like to see come here.”

On which number he would prefer to wear now that he is back at Barcelona, Romeu said: “When I arrived at Barça they asked me which number I wanted to wear. In Girona, I wore No. 18 and it brings back great memories. My idea is to wear the same number again.”