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Barcelona : Paulinho set to return to China in €50 million move

By Chiranjib Ghosh

SAMARA, RUSSIA - JULY 02: Paulinho of Brazil in action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between Brazil and Mexico at Samara Arena on July 2, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
SAMARA, RUSSIA - JULY 02: Paulinho of Brazil in action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between Brazil and Mexico at Samara Arena on July 2, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Paulinho is considering an offer to return to Guangzhou Evergrande

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JUNE 27: Paulinho of Brazil is seen during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group E match between Serbia and Brazil at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Russia on June 27, 2018.(Photo by Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JUNE 27: Paulinho of Brazil is seen during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group E match between Serbia and Brazil at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Russia on June 27, 2018.(Photo by Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /

Paulinho has received an offer from Guangzhou Evergrande to return to China. This is in light of Barcelona’s decision to sign Grêmio midfielder Arthur ahead of schedule. Paulinho has considered his former club’s offer, and is inclined towards accepting it.

The 29-year old box-to-box midfielder was unimpressive at the World Cup, failing to link up with his teammates and fluffing scoring opportunities. This may have resulted in him falling down the pecking order at the club, and with Arthur’s arrival, he may go down even further.

Kia Joorabchian, Paulinho’s agent, was at the Catalan capital to present the offer to the club. The management is currently considering it, but will have to take a decision before the Chinese transfer window closes next week.

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Yerry Mina has done very well for Colombia at the World Cup, scoring thrice. Earlier, he was all set to leave the club on a loan deal, but his performances in Russia may have compelled the management to reconsider their stance on Mina’s immediate future at the club.

Mina does not hold European citizenship, and hence, with the arrival of Arthur, the squad has more than the permissible limit of non-EU players. Earlier, it had been decided that Mina would be laid off in order to comply to the La Liga registration rules.

But now, the offer for Paulinho has changed things up. While the 29-year old Brazilian adds a new dimension to the Barça midfield, he does not possess the technical ability to be a starter for the club. Due to these reasons, and his age, Paulinho is an expendable player.

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But the club should tie up an adequate replacement before taking the call to offload him, perhaps someone like Porto playmaker Héctor Herrera. The money is not bad either. The club would be making a tidy profit of €10 million.

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