Corinthians star Paulinho could make summer Premier League move, says Joorabchian

Posted Thursday, February 07, 2013 by YAHOO Sport

Super agent Kia Joorabchian says Corinthians star Paulinho will make a move to Europe in the summer, revealing he has already turned down offers from Serie A and Premier League sides in the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old midfielder is set to feature for Brazil against England in Wednesday night's friendly at Wembley, giving fans a chance to see more of the player who has been heavily linked with Inter as well as Chelsea and PSG.

Joorabchian - who represents Paulinho as part of his Sports Invest stable - feels a move to one of the continent's biggest clubs would be perfect for the playmaker, who he describes as a "massive talent."

"[Paulinho] is an absolutely really special player," he told talkSPORT. "He's definitely going to move in the summer I feel. He's already been linked with Inter, Milan and various clubs in England and it's now up to him to decide where he's going to take his future - whether it be England, Italy or Spain.

"He's fortunate even to have his pick at the moment, he's got plenty of clubs that are interested in him. There were a couple of offers made for him in the January transfer window from both English and Italian clubs and he decided to stay in Brazil. [Talks] will continue in the summer and we'll see where he ends up."

Joorabchian, 41, also likened the Corinthians player to Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard in terms of his style of play.

"I never like to compare players but in England he would be your Frank Lampard/Steven Gerrard-type player, that kind of box horse - he's so, so special," he added. He had a lot to do with Corinthians winning the Champions League of South America, and he was very much involved win the Club World Championships against Chelsea. He's going to be a massive talent, and he'll end up at a big club.

"Paulinho is perfectly suited to European football with his physique," he added. "He's lived in the biggest city in the world - Sao Paulo - so London would not be a problem. I think he'd live in any environment."

Paulinho has made eight appearances for A Selecao and found the net twice, while he scored 13 goals in 52 total appearances for Corinthians last season.