Spanish powerhouse Barcelona have dropped out of the race to sign Brazilian midfielder Paulinho to focus on pursuing Ivorian footballer Jean Seri, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The Spanish club now have a huge transfer budget after receiving a world-record £198 million from Neymar’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, and it is believed that they will use the money to improve the team’s squad.
Barcelona’s interest in the 29-year-old Paulinho has cooled down significantly after turning their attention to Nice midfielder Jean Seri, and according to Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish club could drop out of the race for the former Tottenham Hotspur footballer altogether.
One of the reasons that lead to Barcelona’s decision to end their interest in Paulinho is that the midfielder’s parent club, Guangzhou Evergrande had set an asking price of €40million for him – a price that doesn’t match the Spanish club’s intention.