Barcelona have confirmed the signing of midfielder Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande for €40 million.

The Brazil international, 29, will finalise his move to the La Liga giants upon completing a medical and agreeing terms on a reported four-year deal on Thursday.

Paulinho, who will have a buyout clause of €120m, will be Ernesto Valverde’s first signing since the world-record €222m sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

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.