Reports: Barcelona make shock move for Tottenham 'flop'

Is this a wise move by Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde?

What’s the story?

Barcelona are looking to secure some early signings in the summer transfer window and now latest reports from Goal claim that the Catalan giants have made a shock move to sign Tottenham flop Paulinho. The Brazilian midfielder is currently playing at Guangzhou Evergrande where he has quickly established himself as one of the best players in the Chinese Super League.

A combative presence in the centre of the field, Paulinho will add some much-needed depth to the Blaugrana midfield especially as Rafinha and Andre Gomes have been linked with moves away from the Camp Nou.

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Barcelona bound?

This is not the first time the Brazilian has been linked with Barcelona. In 2013, the Catalan giants were keen on signing him, but he ended up making a move to Premier League side Tottenham. After struggling to establish himself, Paulinho has rediscovered his form playing for Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande.

In a spell of three years, the Brazilian has won two League titles and even guided the club to the Asian Champions League. He has also surprisingly scored a very impressive 24 goals in 97 appearances for the Chinese side. His consistently stunning performances have seen him become a regular for the Brazil national team under new manager Tite.

The heart of the matter

Barcelona even enquired about Paulinho in the January transfer window and it is believed that the Brazilian is rated very highly by the Barcelona hierarchy. Technical director Robert Fernandez has promised to make signings this summer transfer window and Paulinho could prove to be a shrewd acquisition for the Blaugrana.

Capable of destroying play and setting up attacks with equal ease, the Brazil international will definitely provide an alternative to Sergio Busquets and he could come for a fee as low as £18 million.

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Author’s take

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a second wind in his career and is currently one of the regulars for the Brazilian national side. Both Bayern Munich and Barcelona have both been linked with a move for Paulinho, but, both the clubs should be wary of signing the midfielder.

He struggled at his only European spell at Tottenham and Barcelona will do well to look at other targets before finalising a move for the Guangzhou Evergrande star.