Evergrande Reject €20 Million Paulinho Offer from Barcelona

By Jesse Pottinger, July 7, 2017

Rumors of a move for Brazilian superstar Paulinho, of Guangzhou Evergrande, were put to rest on Thursday, when the club formally declined offers from Barcelona to give up their key player.

According to ESPN FC, Paulinho was reportedly offered somewhere in the neighborhood of EUR20 million by Barcelona.

According to a statement released by the Guangzhou club: “Paulinho only signed a contract in January 2017 and is an important part of the club’s long-term future.” The release added that the club had no interest in selling, but appreciated that their player is so highly regarded.

The news will no doubt be well received by Evergrande fans, as the quick-footed Paulinho has seen plenty of success during his two years in Guangzhou.

Despite the 28-year-old box-to-box midfielder being threatened with deportation back in April, following a gambling scandal with a Japanese porn star, it appears he will remain in Guangzhou for the foreseeable future, and it sounds like he is happy to stick with the club for now.

Paulinho was quoted by ESPN FC stating, “I think, first of all, the way things are with my partner here in China… We really like where we are, the people, how things are with the club, the success. The truth is that I don’t know [what to do].”

Lets hope that with plenty of time remaining in Paulinho’s contract, we can expect to see some more legendary moments like his beautiful 40-yard goal against the Kashiwa Reysol. And, of course, championship titles.

[Image via Mirror]