Crystal Palace and West Ham United are set to miss out on the signing of Brazilian sensation Gabigol.
Gabigol joined the Brazilian outfit on a year-long loan deal from Italian heavyweights Inter Milan in January this year and his deal is set to expire at the end of December. The attacker has been linked with Premier League sides Crystal Palace (Passione Inter) and West ham United (FC Inter News) in recent weeks but he has reportedly rejected advances from England.
The 23-year-old has been in sensational form this season for Flamengo having scored 24 goals and provided five assists in 30 games. His move to Inter Milan from Santos back in 2016 didn’t prove to be worthwhile considering his age and inexperience in Europe but he can remain a star in his home country.
The report reveals that Flamengo have agreed a deal with Inter to sign Gabigol permanently for a fee just under £19 million. That would be a huge bargain considering that his contract at the San Siro runs until the summer of 2022 and that the English clubs would offer a much higher fee for him.
The news shouldn’t really bother West Ham considering that they only recently signed Sebastien Haller. The former Frankfurt forward has four goals in nine games and has proved to be clinical whenever he has had a goal-scoring chance.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, will have to look elsewhere to fill the huge void in their number nine position. Jordan Ayew has three goals in eight games but Christian Benteke is yet to open his account for the season. Gabigol would have been a very good option for the Eagles but Roy Hodgson needs to reconsider his transfer plans ahead of the January transfer window.
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