Guangzhou FC is slated to lose star midfielder Paulinho at the end of this year’s campaign, according to Xinhua. The news comes following former teammate and Brazilian striker Anderson Talisca signing with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr to a three-year contract.
A source told Xinhua that “Paulinho will follow Talisca’s move sooner or later” and “the club has already given the green light to his transfer.”
The 32-year-old will likely end up with a Brazilian or European club via transfer or loan.
Paulinho first joined Guangzhou FC in 2015, signing a four-year deal worth EUR14 million. In 2018, he returned to the provincial capital after a one-year stint with Barcelona and signed a EUR42 million contract with the team in January 2019.
Paulinho was as electric on the field as he was off. In 2017, the footballer almost got deported after promoting an illegal betting company with Japanese porn star Tsukasa Aoi.
Japanese porn star Tsukasa Aoi and Paulinho. Image via CEN h/t Daily Mirror
That same year, Paulinho gifted his driver his Mercedes-Benz and a pair of Beats headphones before leaving Guangzhou for Barcelona.
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Rendering of Guangzhou FC’s new stadium, currently under construction. Image via @UglyWally/Weibo
The pending departure of Paulinho from the Chinese Super League (CSL) is a new trend for the top national football league following strict rule changes implemented on January 1, 2021.
The rules severely curbed salary expenditures on foreign talent. Overseas players now cannot make more than EUR3 million annually in the CSL – a significant departure from the massive deals signed by star players like Hulk and Oscar in past years.
READ MORE: Chinese Football Authority Cracks Down on CSL Salaries and Sponsors
[Cover image via @guangzhouevergrande_fc/Instagram]
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