New Barcelona signing: I’ll find out if Lionel Messi is from this planet

An FC Barcelona new boy has admitted that the prospect of playing alongside the likes of Lionel Messi used to be just a dream, but since that has now become a reality, he is eager to see if the Argentine “is from this planet”.

Brazil youth international Arthur recently signed for the Blaugrana from South American outfit Gremio for a reported fee of €40 million (R472 million), and while he will only be joining the Catalan club in January 2019, he is excited about everyday life at the Camp Nou, and joked that he would like to see if Messi is, in fact, human.

“When I started, it was a dream to play alongside players as big as Messi,” Arthur told El Larguero.

“Now, it turns out that I will be able to work with him every day. Also, I will be able to check if he is from this planet or not because he’s an outstanding player.”

Before making the decision to join Barca, the midfielder attracted bids from all across Europe, and he admitted that Real Madrid also made initial contact confirming their interest.

“If I don’t get confused, my representative did have some unofficial contact (from Los Blancos),” Arthur added.

“But no offer came officially.”

The 21-year-old has made 40 appearances for Gremio in his career so far, scoring one goal and assisting one further strike.