Barcelona continue their pursuit of Brazilian international midfielder Paulinho. The Catalan giants have yet to make their mark in the transfer window as all the talk continues to centre on the possible departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.
 

The 28-year-old Paulinho, who flopped spectacularly during his time in the Premier League with Spurs, is currently plying his trade in China at Guangzhou Evergrande but new Barca boss Ernesto Valverde is keen to bring him to the Camp Nou with the club’s chase for Marco Verratti and Philippe Coutinho failing to come to fruition at the current time.
 

Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo reports that the Blaugrana have contacted the player’s agent to ask him to try to convince Paulinho to head back to Europe this summer. The Chinese Super-League has 12 matches of the season remaining and with the transfer window already closed, Guangzhou are reluctant to sell as they have no way of bringing in a replacement. If Barcelona fail to close out the deal before August 31, Valverde may have to wait until January to get his man.