Guangzhou Evergrande head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that Paulinho is on his way to Barcelona, stated the Spanish La Liga powerhouse had activated €40 million buyout clause for the Brazilian striker.
“Paulinho is a player with high individual quality, an outstanding player, both for his club and for the national team. The high price paid by Barcelona for him is a strong recognition of Guangzhou Evergrande,” the 68-year-old said, as quoted by Reuters.
“We wish him all the best and that he can embrace a bright future.”
Paulinho was left out of Guangzhou’s line-up for their 2-1 win over Henan Jianye in the Chinese Super League on Sunday. The 29-year-old is expected to fly to Spain to sign for the Catalan side this week.
Barcelona have reportedly been chasing the Brazilian international throughout the transfer window, but it appeared that his Chinese club were unwilling to sell their marquee player, who was the key part of his club’s 2015 Asian Champions League win and successive Chinese Super League titles.