Barcelona are reportedly targeting former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho, who is currently playing for Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande
According to a report by Sport, Barcelona are targeting Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Paulinho as Ernesto Valverde aims to boost consistency in the midfield. It was earlier reported that the Spanish club will offer a sum of €25 million to land the Brazilian midfielder in the summer, and it looks like a deal could be on the cards.
Paulinho’s two-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur was nothing short of disastrous as he was reduced to being a bit part player under manager Mauricio Pochettino. In an attempt to play more regularly, he made his way to join Guangzhou. Since then, the Brazilian has improved by leaps and bounds and has truly become a stronger player.
When one compares his scope for growth at Tottenham and Guangzhou, it is quite evident that the Chinese club provided him with better opportunities. Gradually, he became a mainstay for the club, helping them win the league multiple times.
The previous season saw him record ten goals and four assists in 24 appearances across all competitions. His displays for Guangzhour also helped Paulinho earn his place back in the Brazilian national side. The player also managed to attract that attention of Barcelona as the Spanish club seems keen on securing a deal soon enough.
The previous season was rather forgettable for Barcelona in terms of trophies. They lost out on the La Liga trophy to arch-rivals Real Madrid and embarrassingly bowed out of the Champions League quarter-finals as well. While the defence and attack were strong, the midfield area was quite chaotic, thus accentuating the need for a new midfielder.
Their primary target is believed to be PSG’s Marco Verratti. However, Verratti has a host of top European clubs battling it out for his signature, thus making Paulinho seem like a fairly less-complicated prospect.
The Catalan club are understood to be confident about landing Paulinho this summer. Although he will be seen as a back-up option to their first-choice target Verratti, Barcelona are continuing their pursuit of the midfielder. In order to play better next term, the club needs to address the midfield woes pronto and Paulinho could be a solution.
