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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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“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.
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“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.”
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Paulinho joined Guangzhou from Tottenham Hotspur in June 2015, helping the club to the Asian Champions League and two Chinese Super League titles.
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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.
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Guangzhou chairman Xu Jiayin has already said he was not for sale this season.