Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has raised a few eyebrows by claiming that he would immediately allow Neymar back at the Camp Nou if it were up to him.

Ernesto Valverde had recently dismissed talk of a return for the Brazilian as ‘fantasy’, but Rakitic clearly doesn’t see things the same way.

The Croatian midfielder would gladly welcome Neymar back to the fold at Barcelona despite his €222 million sale to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

“He has not told me anything, but if it’s up to me, I would open the door right now,” Rakitic told reporters after the 2-0 win over Malaga in La Liga on Saturday.

“Not only because of the relationship I have with him, but because of the type of player he is.

“I would always put Ney on my team.”

Barcelona were able to secure the victory away to Malaga without star man Lionel Messi who was at the hospital for the birth of his third child.

Rakitic was pleased for his team-mate and looks forward to having him back for the Champions League clash against Chelsea in midweek.

“The last few seasons we have had a bad time here,” he said. “I think we were very superior but now we can prepare for what is coming.”

“I hope the kid and the family are fine and Messi comes back soon, we need him,” Rakitic added.

“Chelsea will be very difficult, and the fans know we have to be together.

“We want to make history together, but they can hurt us at any time.”