Corinthians are ready to explore a loan deal to bring back Tottenham midfielder Paulinho in January.

The Brazilian club sold the midfielder to White Hart Lane for £16million in the summer of 2012 but he has failed to live up to expectations and has slipped down the pecking order under head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Paulinho could feature in tomorrow night’s Europa League match against Asteras Tripolis but was not even included in the squad for last Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at champions Manchester City.

Spurs have an abundance of central midfielders and there appears little future for Paulinho at White Hart Lane. He was linked with a switch to Chelsea last summer but the Premier League leaders are unlikely to move for a player who is so far from his club’s first team.

The fee Spurs paid for Paulinho means it will be very difficult for a Brazilian club to buy him back outright but a temporary move, which would give Paulinho the chance to revive his international ambitions, is a distinct possibility.