Barcelona in Talks to Sign Paulinho
Despite the fact that he struggled during his forgettable two-year stint with Tottenham, Paulinho is actually a pretty good box-to-box midfielder who deserves another chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage of club football.
The Brazilian footballer is currently plying his wares in China with Guangzhou Evergrande, but he may head to Europe this summer.
Goal has reported that Barcelona have expressed interest in signing Paulinho and they have reached out to Guangzhou Evergrande to work on a deal to bring the midfielder to Camp Nou. Apparently, talks are at an early stage, so don't expect a move to happen anytime soon. According to The Sun, Paulinho appears to be open to a move to Barcelona.
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He sounds like a viable plan B for Barça in case they miss out on Marco Verratti. However, Guangzhou Evergrande manager Luiz Felipe Scolari told Mundo Deportivo that the club isn't looking to move Paulinho right now.
"Paulinho is not going to move from Guangzhou Evergrande and, for those who do not know it, he has a €40m release clause," Scolari said, via Football365.
"At this moment it is not easy for any Chinese team to let an important player go because it is difficult and very expensive to sign a replacement due to new tax rates," he continued.
Well, that probably closes the door on a possible transfer unless Barça can come up with an enticing offer that can make Guangzhou Evergrande reconsider their stand.
Paulinho has won two Chinese Super League titles and an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League trophy since he joined Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015. The club actually played against Barcelona against in the semifinal of the 2015 Club World Cup and they finished third in the tournament.
According to Sport, Paulinho was on Barcelona's radar before his move to Tottenham back in 2013.
