Dharmesh Sheth has claimed that he has been told Newcastle target, Gabriel Barbosa, will either ‘score for or against West Ham’ this season, as he told the Transfer Show on Sky Sports.
The Sky reporter added that the 25-year-old has ‘spoken to Flamengo officials’ and he is ‘desperate’ to move.
The Brazil international, who is nicknamed ‘Gabigol’, is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including West Ham and Newcastle, as reported by Sky Sports and 90min.
Midlands duo, Aston Villa and Wolves, are also keeping tabs on the all-action striker that scored 29 goals last season in Brazil.
In the Copa Libertadores final in November, which is the South America equivalent of the Champions League, Barbosa scored for Flamengo, but they were beaten by Palmeiras 2-1 in extra time.
Barbosa scored 11 times during that competition and seemingly feels it’s time for him to move to a tougher league to test his resolve.
This is what transfer expert, Sheth, had to say about Barbosa and how he is keen to make a move to Europe.
“Gabriel Barbosa has spoken to Flamengo officials to tell that if a suitable offer was to come in from England, then he would like the opportunity to speak to that club,” said Sheth.
“But he is desperate to make that move because he sees that move as a way to cement his place for Brazil’s starting number nine in the World Cup in Qatar.
“A little bit more on a potential proposal West Ham’s one would be. It’s an 18-month loan with an option to buy for around €30 million (£25m).
“Now, we say option, but it would almost turn into an obligation to buy because the option would be dependent on appearance – it will come down to David Moyes, he will have the final decision.
“That same contact did say to me that he expects one of two things to happen and that is Gabriel Barbosa will either be scoring for West Ham this season or against West Ham.”
For some, the name Barbosa will ring a bell because he did flirt with Italian and Portuguese football for a small period of time.
He played a handful of games for Inter and Benfica, but wasn’t able to really prove his worth during his time at those clubs.
But, Barbosa will rightfully feel that he wasn’t given the opportunity to perform because he played a total of 15 games for both clubs.
However, he may now get his chance in perhaps the toughest league in the world and also possibly play in the Europa League if he moves to the London Stadium.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
