Barcelona have struck a €40-million deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Paulinho from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao.

The Brazil international will finalise his move to the La Liga giants upon completing a medical, and agreeing terms on a reported four-year deal on Thursday.

The 29-year-old will be Ernesto Valverde’s first signing since the world-record €222m sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

Barca have not confirmed the length of Paulinho’s contract, but they have stated that it will include a €120m buy-out clause.

It comes after weeks of speculation over his future and marks an impressive revival in Paulinho’s career.

Having struggled to convince at Tottenham following a move from Corinthians in 2013, he left to join Guangzhou two years later to link up with former Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Paulinho helped the club to win six trophies, including two league titles and the AFC Champions League, and his performances earned him a recall to the national team.

– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za