Barcelona forward Neymar has called on his club to sign Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Paulinho this summer.

The Spanish giants have been strongly linked with a move for the Brazilian international since the end of last season, and the midfielder recently claimed that he was hopeful that an agreement could be reached between Guangzhou and Barca.

Neymar is close friends with the 28-year-old, and the forward has stated that Barcelona would "win a lot" if they managed to bring the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder to Camp Nou for the 2017-18 campaign.

"Paulinho is a friend that I have in football," Neymar told AS. "I want him to sign for Barca because with a player like him, who is a friend too, we are going to win a lot."

Paulinho, who is said to be valued upwards of £20m by Guangzhou, has scored 27 goals in 89 appearances for the Chinese Super League champions since a 2015 move from Tottenham.