Barcelona confirm £36.5m deal for Paulinho

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Barcelona have signed Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande for €40m (£36.5)
Spanish giants Barca have trailed the midfielder for much of the summer
After a medical and finalising terms, Paulinho will be presented on Thursday

Published: 07:22 EDT, 14 August 2017 | Updated: 07:40 EDT, 14 August 2017

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Barcelona have confirmed their €40million (£36.5m) deal for Paulinho from Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande.

The former Tottenham midfielder will undergo a medical and finalise the terms of his contract on Thursday morning before a official presentation at the Nou Camp later in the day.

The Catalan club have inserted a buy out clause of the player's contract at €120m (£109m).

Barcelona have confirmed the £36million deal for Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande

He spent two seasons at Tottenham after moving to Europe from former club Corinthians

Paulinho Bezerra, FC Barcelona's new signing https://t.co/TGWrKjWkfG

�� Welcome, Paulinho!

�� #BeBarça #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/DoqmRFpunu
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 14, 2017

The Brazilian, who has been with Guangzhou since 2015, has been a Barca target for much of the summer and they have now confirmed the move.

Barca opened with a bid of £17million in July but have since significantly increased their offer for the 29-year-old to complete the deal.

It marks a return to European football for a player who spent two seasons at White Hart Lane, without hitting the heights expected of him following a £17million switch from Corinthians.

The ex-Tottenham midfielder arrived in Guangzhou to great fanfare back in 2015

The Brazilian has been a Barca target for much of the summer and will be unveiled on Thursday

PAULINHO'S CAREER

2006–07: FC Vilnius

2007–08: LKS Lodz

2008–09: Pao de Açúcar

2009–10: Bragantino

2010–13: Corinthians

2013–15: Tottenham Hotspur

2015–17: Guangzhou Evergrande

2017-: Barcelona

He played 67 times for Spurs during those two seasons, scoring 11 times, but was eventually sold for a fee of around £10million as he headed to China in the summer of 2015.

Speaking at the start of July, at a time when he thought his move was close, the Brazilian revealed his excitement regarding the switch.

He told Mundo Deportivo: 'It is a unique opportunity for me to be able to play for Barcelona, the best team in the world and surrounded by the best players.

'I have to talk to my president, since I got the proposal I have not stopped thinking about it and I am waiting for everything to be resolved this week.'