Paulinho is ready to fly to Barcelona on Sunday from Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande after they activated the former Tottenham midfielder’s €40 million buyout clause.
Chinese media said on Saturday evening that the 29-year-old Brazilian would go down to Spain to seal the move after Barcelona triggered Paulinho’s release.
Barcelona as a team is looking to bolster their squad following the world record €222m sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain last week.
The transfer could prove problematic for Guangzhou, who lead the league by five points from Shanghai SIPG.
With the Chinese Super League’s transfer window closing in mid-July, Evergrande will bot be able to bring in a replacement.
“We don’t want him to go but I’m happy for him as it’s a chance of a lifetime,” an unnamed Guangzhou payer was quoted on sina.com.
“It is Barcelona. I’m happy for him as we have been brothers for the last two years.”
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