Tottenham Close to Making First Summer Signing as Brazilian Midfielder Reveals Offer

Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping that they can soon confirm their first signing of the summer after Brazilian midfielder Paulinho confirmed that Corinthians have received an offer from the north London club.

The Guardian reports that Spurs are believed to have agreed a fee of £17m with the Brazilian side and must now hope that the midfielder is prepared to make the move to White Hart Lane.

It is believed that there could be interest from other European clubs, with Inter Milan having previously made an offer, while there are also reports that Chelsea could also be interested in the 24 year old.

Paulinho is currently representing Brazil in the Confederations Cup and has confirmed that he would only make a decision on his future once the tournament concludes at the end of June.

"There is an official offer from Tottenham to Corinthians," Paulinho confirmed to reporters after Brazil had beaten Italy 4-2 on Saturday.

"But, as I did when there was an Inter Milan offer, I'll sit and decide with my family before I make any decision. I will only do it after the Confederations Cup because it's hard to deal with all these things."

Paulinho missed the victory over Italy with an ankle injury but he has featured heavily for Brazil since Luiz Felipe Scorali was put in charge of the side. His energetic performances in midfield have highlighted his talent and it seems as though Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is keen to bring him to the club.

Spurs have a number of options in central midfield but there are concerns over the future of Tom Huddlestone who has suggested he may leave the club in order to find more regular first team football.

With Scott Parker also entering the latter stages of his playing career, Paulinho could be used in a central role alongside his compatriot Sandro who is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury he sustained last season.

Spurs have yet to make a signing this summer but they have recruited a new technical director in Franco Baldini who will almost certainly help in the negotiations for Paulinho which could become complicated due to his economic rights being owned by a third party.