Goulart begins talks over Evergrande exit

RIO DE JANEIRO - Guangzhou Evergrande's Brazilian midfielder Ricardo Goulart wants to return to his homeland in a bid to boost his chances of playing at next year's World Cup.

Goulart, who is contracted to the Chinese Super League side until January 2020, said his representatives were in talks to "resolve the matter the best way possible".

"I want to play in Europe and I think it will be difficult to go there directly from China," the 26-year-old told Globo Esporte.

"I also want to play again for the national team so I think the first step I need to take is to go back to Brazil. The club knows about it. We have to be patient and negotiate properly. I've got new projects and challenges for 2018."

Sao Paulo-based Palmeiras is the favorite to sign Goulart due to his friendship with the club's director of football, Alexandre Mattos. Mattos was in charge of the department at Cruzeiro when Goulart played at the Belo Horizonte club in 2013 and 2014.

"We are good friends and it helps that everything at Palmeiras has to go through him," Goulart said.

Goulart, whose solitary Brazil cap came in 2014, has scored 78 goals in 123 matches for Evergrande since arriving from Cruzeiro in January 2015. He went on to win the Asian Champions League that year as well as three CSL titles and the 2016 Chinese FA Cup.

Xinhua