Spanish La Liga Champions, Barcelona have confirmed that Brazilian midfielder, Paulinho is leaving the club to rejoin Chinese club, Guangzhou Evergrande on an initial one-season loan deal.
Paulinho scored nine goals in 49 appearances after joining Barcelona from Guangzhou Evergrande last summer in a €40m (£35.3m) move.
The deal taking him back to Guangzhou contains an option for the Chinese Super League side to purchase the midfielder outright.
Here’s how FC Barcelona made the announcement on its official website;
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“FC Barcelona and Guangzhou Evergrande have reached an agreement for the loan transfer of Paulinho Bezerra for one season, with a subsequent purchase option for the Chinese club.
Barça publicly expresses its gratitude to Paulinho for his commitment and dedication and wishes him luck and success in the future.
49 games, 9 goals Paulinho made 49 appearances for Barça and scored nine goals, all in La Liga. The Brazilian midfielder debuted on August 26, 2017 in Barça’s 2-0 league triumph at Alavés.
Paulinho’s first goal with Barça came in his fourth match, and was the game-winner in the 84th minute of a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Getafe.
Paulinho stood out as an attacking midfielder who easily made his way into the opposition penalty area. He also made key contributions defensively throughout the season.
In fact, his performances at Barça were key to him being called to play for Brazil in the 2018 World Cup, where he has been a mainstay for ‘La Canarinha.’”