One-time Brazilian wonderkid ‘Gabigol’ could reportedly join Premier League outfit Crystal Palace after a dreadful spell in Serie A with Internazionale.
Gabriel Barbosa’s first foray into the big leagues of European football didn’t exactly go to plan.
The Brazilian wonderkid swapped Santos for Inter Milan in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £29.5 million. But after just one goal in nine substitute appearances in Serie A, plus a forgettable loan spell at Benfica which consisted of just 13 minutes of league football, saw Gabriel return to Brazil with his tail between his legs.
The 22-year-old is back at Santos these days, on a year-long loan from Inter Milan. But he has rediscovered the form that earned him that ‘Gabigol’ nickname in his teenage years.
He has scored 23 goals in 45 games in all competitions. And reports from Brazil suggest that Crystal Palace could now be encouraged to make one of the most eye-catching transfers of the January transfer window.
UOL are reporting that The Eagles have been in contact with Gabriel’s agent, the influential Kia Joorabchian, with a move to Selhurst Park a genuine possibility. Inter, the report adds, have no interest in keeping the four-time Brazil international at the San Siro.
Now, Palace’s lack of goals is well documented, they haven’t scored at home all season long. But is Gabriel Barbosa, who won Olympic Gold alongside Neymar and Gabriel Jesus in 2016, merely an ill-fated folly or a potentially world class attacker capable of firing Roy Hodgson’s side to safety?
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