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Paulinho: Tottenham target is a fighter - Edu

Tottenham are set to complete the signing of Brazil midfielder Paulinho next week for a fee of about £17m.

The 24-year-old revealed last weekend that Spurs had made a bid for him but said he would not decide his future until after the Confederations Cup.

Real Madrid have also shown interest in the Corinthians player, but he is now expected to move to White Hart Lane.

Paulinho factfile Full name: Jose Paulo Bezerra Maciel Junior Born: 25 July 1988 Club: Corinthians Brazil caps: 16 Brazil goals: 5

Speaking after Brazil's 4-2 win over Italy, he said: "There is an official offer from Tottenham to Corinthians."

Paulinho did not play in Saturday's match having sustained an ankle injury.

But he marked his return to action on Wednesday by scoring the winner against Uruguay, which booked Brazil's place in Sunday's Confederations Cup final.

Asked when his club future would be resolved, he said: "I will only do it after the Confederations Cup because it's hard to deal with all these things.

"But, as I did when there was an Inter Milan offer, I'll sit and decide with my family before I make any decision."

Paulinho has made 16 appearances for Brazil and scored five times, including a goal in their 3-0 Confederations Cup win against Japan last week.