Barca begin spending spree with Paulinho
BARCELONA made Brazilian international midfielder Paulinho their first signing since banking a world record fee for Neymar on Monday after agreeing a €40 million (RM201.51m) fee with Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande.
The 29-year-old has signed a fouryear deal with a €120 million (RM604.53m) buyout clause and will be formally presented tomorrow.
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 home defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Sunday.
Midfielder Sergio Busquets had put pressure on the club’s board by claiming Barca had to strengthen their squad before the transfer window closes on August 31.
However, Paulinho’s arrival has not been warmly received by the Barca fanbase.
Over 80% of fans urged the club not to sign him for over €20 million (RM100.7m) in a survey conducted by Barcelona sports daily Mundo Deportivo.
That lack of enthusiasm is due to Paulinho’s chequered career at club level in Europe.
After spells in Lithuania and Poland as a teenager, Paulinho moved to Tottenham Hotspur from Corinthians in 2013.
Yet he failed to shine in two years in England before moving to Guangzhou in 2015 for €14 million (RM70.53m).
However, he has rebuilt his career in China and established himself as a regular in a rejuvenated Brazil side since the appointment of Tite as coach a year ago, most notably scoring a hattrick in a 4-1 win away to Uruguay in World Cup qualifying back in March. – AFP The Daily Telegraph