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After weeks of speculation followed by many weeks of no speculation at all, Paulinho is officially a Barcelona player after the Blaugrana announced the signing of the Brazilian midfielder. Barça completed the deal after activating a €40 million release clause in Paulinho’s contract with Guangzhou Evergrande.
The club have confirmed he will have a medical and officially sign his contract on Thursday and be presented at Camp Nou. He has a release clause of €120m.
Paulinho Bezerra, nou jugador del FC Barcelona https://t.co/SdIJ8VWVvE
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) August 14, 2017
Benvingut Paulinho!
#BeBarça #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/TPGMz19h7b
The 29-year-old Paulinho became a star in Brazil winning the Copa Libertadores with Corinthians in 2012. Paulinho then signed with Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 and was a notorious flop in the Premier League, failing to fulfill expectations and eventually being sold to the Chinese Super League.
It was during his stint in China that Paulinho was called up by Brazilian national team manager Tite, and the midfielder has become a crucial part of the top international side in the world according to FIFA rankings. When playing for Brazil, Paulinho is a fantastic central midfielder, an engine who can defend and arrive at the box to score goals, and he adds a new dynamic to Ernesto Valverde’s side.
Welcome, Paulinho!