Barcelona 'in advanced talks' to sign former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho

The Brazilian has enjoyed something of a renaissance since moving to the Chinese Super League and could fetch a fee of more than £25m

Paulinho spent two seasons at Spurs before being offloaded to China (Getty Images)

Barcelona are reportedly "in advanced talks" to sign former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho.

The 29-year-old spent two seasons at White Hart Lane, making 67 appearances and scoring 10 goals, before being offloaded to Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015.

While the Brazilian failed to make too much of an impression in north London, he has enjoyed something of a renaissance since joining the Chinese Super League outfit managed by his compatriot Luis Felipe Scolari.

He hit headlines in March after scoring a hat-trick in his national side's 4-1 win over Uruguay.

Barcelona are said to have had a bid of €25m (£22.5m) rejected earlier this summer but are now preparing a fresh approach following the departure of Neymar.

Discussions between the two clubs are "very, very advanced", according to Catalan newspaper Sport, and Barca are hopeful the deal can be completed in the next few days.

The paper also suggests that Barca could make a move for Nice's Jean Seri, with new manager Ernesto Valverde having identified central midfield as one of the key areas the team must improve ahead of the new season.