Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Paulinho, Saul Niguez Rumours

Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Paulinho has revealed Barcelona are interested in signing him this summer.

Speculation has gathered pace recently that the Catalan giants were looking to add the 28-year-old to their squad for next season. When asked about the rumours, the Brazil international confirmed their validity.

"There's been contact with my agent," he said to Sport newspaper (h/t ESPN). "There's an offer [from Barca], it's true, and the two parties are talking. I'm really proud that a great club like Barcelona are interested in my situation—there is no price for that."

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The former Tottenham Hotspur man went on to say he was happy with life at the Chinese Super League club and admitted he wasn't sure whether he would move to La Liga.

Given Paulinho failed to show his best in the Premier League, the interest from Barcelona does come as something of a surprise. Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett pondered why they may be interested:

While he has thrived for Guangzhou and the Brazilian national team, during his time in European football, Paulinho struggled badly. At Spurs, the pace of the game appeared a little too quick for the former Corinthians man, and he failed to exert himself on matches.

If he were to move to La Liga, where the game is more technical in midfield, it's difficult to see Paulinho doing much better, especially for a side who seek to control games.

As we can see, courtesy of WhoScored.com, Paulinho's play is based on his energy and combativeness:

Barcelona have lacked that robustness in recent seasons, and those attributes would potentially enrich the impact of other attacking players in the side.

However, in what is poised to be a huge summer for Barcelona as they seek to close the gap to rivals Real Madrid, the Brazilian would be an underwhelming purchase.

Saul Niguez Rumours

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According to Moises Llorens of AS, Barcelona will turn their attentions to Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez if they are unable to broker a deal for Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Marco Verratti.

The piece noted that Barca have been keeping an eye on the development of Saul, and the club will send someone to run the rule over him during Spain's clash with Italy in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship on Tuesday.

As noted, he's been a shining light for the team at the tournament:

Llorens suggested Barcelona "feel the midfielder has the ideal profile to reinforce their side in the middle of the park, and so are reactivating the interest they've had in the player for the past two years."

At Atletico, Saul has established himself as one of the most effective midfield players in Spanish football. On the ball, he's excellent; off it, he's tenacious, and the 22-year-old is intelligent enough to flourish in a variety of different positions.

Additionally, the midfielder has earned a reputation for delivering in the biggest games, as BT Sport Football noted last season:

Aside from the €80 million (£70 million) buyout clause in Saul's contract, the big obstacle preventing Barcelona doing any deal this summer will be Atletico's transfer ban. It means they would be unable to sign a replacement for their midfield star until January.

Saul ticks so many boxes and has the potential to become a mainstay in the Spain midfield for many years to come. If Barcelona could prise him away, his signing would be a real coup, although it's tough to see Atletico entertaining any prospect of a sale at this stage.