According to The Mirror, the Italian sees the Corinthians star as the ideal man to provide competition for Gareth Barry and Javi Garcia in the centre of the park.
The Citizens splashed £16m on the Spaniard before the close of the last transfer window, but he has struggled to settle after moving from Benfica.
Chelsea are also believed to be monitoring Paulinho.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 18 |
| 2 | Manchester CityMan City | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| 6 | Fulham | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| 7 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| 8 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
| 10 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | Bournemouth | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 8 |
| 12 | Brentford | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 7 |
| 13 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 5 |
| 15 | Ipswich TownIpswich | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 4 |
| 16 | Everton | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 4 |
| 17 | Leicester CityLeicester | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 3 |
| 18 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 3 |
| 19 | Southampton | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 1 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 1 |
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