Official: Paulinho returns to China
After a title-winning season with Barcelona, Guangzhou Evergrande have confirmed that the Brazilian will return with his World Cup duties now at an end.
It is now official: Paulinho will return to the Chinese Super League after one year with Barcelona in LaLiga. He will head back to Guangzhou Evergrande on-loan but with an obligatory purchase option.
Paulinho back in China
In 2015, after a disappointing first spell in Europe, Paulinho left for the ambitious project of the Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, where he won two league titles and the Asian Champions League. In 2017, he signed for Barcelona for a figure close to 40 million euros amid huge doubts within their fan base.
It turned out to be an excellent move and Paulinho often shone in the middle of the park, adding some unexpected and valuable goals. He won the Liga with the blaugrana and earned a call up to the Brazilian national team with whom he played all matches of the World Cup in Russia. The nation's campaign came to a disappointing quarter-final end against Belgium.
Although the official figure for the transfer has not been released, it is rumoured that Barcelona will make a profit of ten million euros. That 50 million euros is expected to be reinvested in a suitable replacement.
