Tottenham Move For Paulinho Delayed As Real Madrid Interest Remains - Report

Corinthians are desperate for Paulinho to delay his move to Tottenham Hotspur so the midfielder can help them in their quest to claim another piece of silverware.

The Brazilian international is poised to move to White Hart Lane this summer after an offer of £17m was accepted by his current club with Paulinho admitting he would jump at the chance to play for the Premier League club next season.

The 24-year-old is currently with the Brazil national side competing in the Confederations Cup, taking on Uruguay in the semi-finals of the tournament later on this evening.

Paulinho is expected to sit down to finalise his proposed move to north London after Sunday's final, should Luis Felipe Scolari's side progress to that stage tonight. But Corinthians are hopeful of convincing the midfielder to extend his stay in his homeland by a couple of weeks, something that could potentially harm Tottenham's chances of securing the powerful midfielder with Real Madrid still lurking in the shadows.

Reigning Copa Libertadores champions Corinthians are scheduled to take on the holders of the Copa Sudamericana - the South American equivalent of the Europa League - Sao Paulo over two legs in the Recopa Sudamericana on the 3<sup>rd and 17<sup>th of July.

The Evening Standard report that the Brazilian giants are keen to hold onto their influential midfielder to boost their chances of claiming the trophy.

The Premier League side will be desperate to avoid this scenario and get Paulinho officially signed up as quickly as possible. Real Madrid have also been credited with interest in recent days, and while the club have remained relatively docile in the transfer market thus far, that could be about to change.

The La Liga giants officially unveiled former AC Milan and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti as their new head coach this week. Both incoming and outgoing transfers have been on hold while the club sought to secure a replacement for Jose Mourinho, but the club are expected to begin their summer spending in due course after the Italian held his first press conference earlier today.

Ancelotti's first act as manager at the Bernabeu could thwart Tottenham's hopes of signing Paulinho, with The Times suggesting Los Blancos could make their own move for the box to box midfielder in the coming days.