Scolari denies rift with Barca target Paulinho

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Luiz Felipe Scolari has denied reports of a rift between himself and Guangzhou Evergrande's Paulinho as Spanish media continue to question the midfielder's future with the Chinese Super League club.

Scolari denies rift with Barca target Paulinho

(Reuters)





The 28-year-old has been the subject of several unsuccessful bids by Barcelona following a strong run of form for both his club and Brazil.

Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported that Scolari had removed Paulinho from training earlier in the week due to a lack of focus in light of Barcelona's attempts to buy him, but the World Cup-winning coach said the reports were incorrect.

"Paulinho has been training throughout the whole week and you saw how he played in today's game too," said Scolari after Guangzhou's 2-1 win over Shandong Luneng in the Chinese Super League on Saturday.

"I saw the report, it said I kicked Paulinho out of the training session. Actually, I sent Paulinho, Yu Hanchao and Li Xuepeng out to rest, but they only saw Paulinho.

"If they don't think Paulinho is a professional player and that he would treat the game with such a negative attitude, they are beyond naive."

Paulinho joined Guangzhou from Tottenham Hotspur in June 2015, helping the club to the Asian Champions League and two Chinese Super League titles.

His form for Guangzhou saw him recalled to the Brazil national team and he scored a hat trick in a 4-1 win over Uruguay in March.

Guangzhou chairman Xu Jiayin has already said he was not for sale this season.













(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Greg Stutchbury)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world