Guangzhou Evergrande Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has ruled out star midfielder Paulinho joining Barcelona after recent speculation.
The 28-year-old midfielder has netted 25 times in 87 appearances for the Chinese Super League club after a €14m move from Tottenham Hotspur two years ago.
"Paulinho will not leave Guangzhou, he has a release clause of €40 million,” Scolari told El Mundo Deportivo.
"And at the moment it's not easy for Chinese teams to lose a big player because it's difficult and expensive to sign a replacement with the new taxes that we have to pay.
“If there was a chance he could move I would know about it, but I do not.”
The Brazilian international midfielder, who has scored nine international goals in 41 caps, was first linked to the Camp Nou in 2013 before eventually joining Spurs from Corinthians.
