Guangzhou Evergrande sues Barca over Paulinho

The Chinese club accused Barca of breaking the rules when approaching Paulinho, and refused all further negotiations with the Spanish club.

Paulinho, 28, capped 41 times by Brazil, played for Tottenham for two years. He is one of three midfielders being pursued by Barca this summer, along with Philippe Coutinho and Marco Verratti. The Nou Camp team made two offers to buy Paulinho, for 23 and 31 million dollars respectively, but were rejected.

Guangzhou Evergrande, Paulinho's club, are furious with Barca's approach to their player, who extended his contract until 2020 in January. AS sources say the Chinese club are preparing to sue the Camp Nou club and call on FIFA to take action against illegal approaches to players.

Also according to AS, Guangzhou Evergrande has unilaterally ended all negotiations with Barca. The Chinese team's leadership met with Paulinho and his agent to inform them that there will be no further negotiations regarding the transfer.

The Chinese Super League leaders have denied recent leaks that claimed Felipe Scolari kicked Paulinho out of a training session after an argument broke out between the two.

Once close friends in the Brazilian national team, Paulinho and Scolari are currently at odds over the 28-year-old midfielder's desire to return to Europe to play for Barca. Photo: AFP.

"Paulinho did not complete the first team training session because he and some key players were replaced by substitutes. This was the coach's rotation decision, and is completely normal in football, to prepare for many different scenarios that may occur," the Guangzhou team's statement said.

The Chinese mid-season transfer window closes on July 14, and the only way for Barca to sign Paulinho, according to AS, is to pay the player's $46 million release clause.

According to VNE