Barcelona sign ex-Spurs midfielder for €40million from Chinese club
Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Brazil international Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande for €40million.
The 29-year-old will now undergo his medical with Barca on Thursday and, if all goes to plan, he will sign his contract and be presented on the same day, the Catalan giants have announced.
Barca also said that the former Tottenham midfielder will have a release clause of €120million in his contract.
The Sao Paulo-born player has spent the last two years in the Chinese Super League after joining Evergrande from Spurs for £9.9m in June 2015.
He moved to White Hart Lane in a reported £17m transfer from his hometown club Corinthians in 2013, making 67 appearances for the Premier League club.
He also counts Brazilian side Bragantino, Lithuanian outfit Vilnius and LKS Lodz in Poland among his former employers, while he has scored nine goals across 41 appearances for Brazil.
Paulinho, who had been linked with Barca throughout the summer, becomes the Blaugrana's third addition since the end of last season following the arrivals of defender Nelson Semedo and playmaker Gerard Deulofeu from Benfica and Everton respectively.
He is the first signing since the departure of his fellow Brazilian Neymar, though, as Barca begin to reinvest the world-record €222m fee they received when the striker made a shock move to Paris St Germain earlier this month.
Barca are in the hunt for more reinforcements and have had bids for Liverpool schemer Philippe Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele turned down.
The Copa del Rey holders suffered defeat in their first competitive match under new coach Ernesto Valverde, who replaced Luis Enrique in May, on Sunday night when they were beaten 3-1 at home by Real Madrid in the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana.
Barca confirmed that Paulinho's contract would be for four seasons.
