Barcelona sign €40m Brazilian midfielder Paulinho (Details, pics)

Linked with the Catalan side since the opening of the transfer window, Paulinho has finally joined Barcelona from Guangzhou Evergrande.

Barcelona have secured their first signing since Neymar's departure. Former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho, who has been with Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande since 2015, has completed the move to the Camp Nou, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The first offer for the Brazilian of €20 million was turned down in July, but Valverde's side increased the bid to €40 million (£36.5m) in order to close the deal.

Barcelona take the first step towards rebuilding their squad with the signing of the 29-year-old. They are still on the search for a forward, with respective clubs of top targets Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho proving hard to break down.

'It is a unique opportunity for me to be able to play for Barcelona, the best team in the world and surrounded by the best players', he told 'Mundo Deportivo' in July.