Barcelona explain Paulinho deal with Guangzhou Evergrande

Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande took everyone by surprise on Sunday when they announced that Paulinho was coming back to the club.

There was no word initially from Barcelona which meant a fair bit of confusion. Previous speculation had claimed Paulinho had been the subject of a €50 million bid.

However, later in the day Barcelona released a statement in which they cleared up exactly what was going on, although there is still no official word on Paulinho’s price.

“FC Barcelona and Guangzhou Evergrande have reached an agreement for the loan transfer of Paulinho Bezerra for one season, with a mandatory purchase option for the Chinese club.

“Barça publicly expresses its gratitude to Paulinho for his commitment and dedication and wishes him luck and success in the future.”

Source | FC Barcelona

So, Paulinho leaves on loan but Guangzhou Evergrande have to buy him when his temporary deal expires.

It sounds as though Barcelona will be making a profit on Paulinho after just one season while also freeing up a non-EU spot which looks set to be taken by Arthur.