Barcelona sign Paulinho for $A60m

Aug 14, 2017 - 12:57 PM Barcelona have agreed a deal with Guangzhou Evergrande to sign midfielder Paulinho for EUR40 million ($A60 million), the Spanish club announced on Monday.

The 29-year-old Brazilian will sign a four-year contract with a EUR120 million ($A180 million) release clause, undertaking medical tests on Thursday before being presented at Camp Nou.

The 29-year-old is Barcelona's first signing since the Spanish giants sold Neymar to Paris St Germain earlier this month for a world record EUR222 million ($A333 million), with the Catalans still looking to make further reinforcements.

Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele have both been targeted by Barcelona as they search for a player capable of replacing Neymar's spark on the left of the attack.

Coutinho has handed in a transfer request at Anfield. Barcelona have had two bids rejected for Coutinho and are poised to return with a third offer, according to reports in Spain.

The arrival of Coutinho's Brazil teammate Paulinho will allow Barcelona to add more muscle and energy to a midfield which struggled to keep control of games last season.

"Paulinho is a player who stands out for being a powerful midfielder at 1.82m tall who can get into the box and play anywhere in the middle of the park. He has plenty of experience in the game on various continents," Barcelona added.

Paulinho failed to make an impact in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur after joining from Corinthians and departed to Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015 for EUR14 million ($A21 million).

While in the Chinese top flight Paulinho found his best form, scoring 25 goals in 95 games for Guangzhou, and earned a recall to the Brazilian national side.

Source: AAP