Spurs-linked £27m striker ‘similar’ to Harry Kane welcomes speculation, his boss tipped him for England move

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Reported Tottenham Hotspur summer target Paulinho has described the Premier League as the best in the world, with the January transfer window on the horizon.

According to a report in O Jogo from September, Spurs showed an interest in the Braga striker, but were apparently put off by the £27million release clause in his contract.

Paulinho stayed put at the Estadio Municipal and has continued to impress, with nine goals and two assists from 18 competitive appearances this season.

But although the 28-year-old penned a new five-year contract in October, Braga boss Carlos Carvalhal believes his player could still be on the move in the summer.

“Paulinho is a good striker,” the former Sheffield Wednesday boss told The Sun in November. “He was linked last season with Aston Villa and Tottenham.

“The young centre-back Carmo is one of the players for the future…. I believe at the end of the season they will move. Who knows, maybe to England.”

And now, Paulinho has responded to the links with Tottenham and Villa, in conversation with Record.

“All the players like (English football),” he said. “We are talking about the best league in the world, the most competitive league in the world.”

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Paulinho is a talented and prolific striker whose goalscoring record over the past few seasons paints a picture of consistency, class and progress, and surely it’s only a matter of time before he moves to a bigger club than Braga.

According to 90Min, Paulinho boasts a similar style to Harry Kane, using his physicality to great effect, while the Birmingham Mail, reporting on the 6ft 2in ace from a Wolves angle, suggested he was “Portugal’s answer to Jamie Vardy”.

Although Spurs managed to bring in a suitable deputy for Kane in Carlos Vinicius, could there be scope to bring in another No. 9 next year? After all, Paulinho is a great player who has been doing well and he looks very well suited to English football.