Barcelona begin spending spree by signing Paulinho
BARCELONA: Barcelona made Brazilian international midfielder Paulinho their first signing since banking a world record fee for
Neymar after agreeing a 40mil (RM202mil) fee with Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande.
The 29-year-old has signed a four
year deal with a 120mil (RM608mil) buyout clause and will be formally presented on Thursday.
The announcement of Barca’s third signing of the summer transfer window after Gerard Deulofeu and Nelson Semedo came just hours after the Catalans suffered a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Sunday.
Paulinho failed to shine in his most recent spell in Europe during two years at Tottenham Hotspur before moving to Guangzhou in 2015.
However, he has established him- self as a regular in a rejuvenated Brazil side since the appointment of Tite as coach a year ago, most notably scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win away to Uruguay in World Cup qualifying back in March.
He played a significant part in Evergrande winning the Chinese Super League last season and lifting the AFC Champions League in 2015, and he leaves them five points clear of Shanghai SIPG in the league. Paulinho did not feature in Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Henan Jianye and captain Zheng Zhi says the Brazilian will be a major loss, especially with teams unable to bring in any replacements because the Chinese mid-season transfer window is closed.
“We will miss our main player. But no matter what, we give our blessings to Paulinho,” said Zheng Zhi.