Guangzhou Evergrande have told Paulinho that they will not allow him to leave the club to join Barcelona in the current transfer window.
The Catalans had reportedly made an improved bid of €25 million for the former Tottenham man as they look to seal a deal for the Brazil international.
But Guangzhou, who signed Paulinho from Spurs back in 2015, are adamant they will not allow the midfielder to leave at what is the halfway stage of the Chinese Super League season.
"We need to not only consider the financial account of the corporation, but also the specific situation of our current campaign," said Xu Jiayin, chairman of Evergrande Group in his annual mid-season meeting with the players.