West Ham are increasing their pursuit of Inter’s Gabriel Barbosa, making him a ‘concrete goal’ in the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old is looking to get away from Inter, having just returned from a loan deal at former club Santos. He has been at the Nerazzurri since 2016, making just ten appearances in his time at San Siro.
As reported by Sky Sports in Italy, West Ham began the first contacts with Barbosa and Inter a couple of weeks ago, with talks developing very quickly ahead of the transfer window.
The move would benefit all three parties, with Barbosa eager for a move to the Premier League and Inter looking to sell him. West Ham are also keen to sign another striker, to add to the likes of Marko Arnautović and Javier Hernández.
The deal looks likely to happen subject to Barbosa receiving a work permit to play in England. However he may still leave Inter if he doesn’t obtain the permit to play in the Premier League, with interest from other clubs.
Alongside West Ham, Turkish club Galatasaray are reportedly interested in signing the striker. As well as this, he may make a permanent move back to Brazil, with Flamengo also showing interest in the 22-year-old.
His loan deal at Santos saw him return to the club he had played for since he was eight. In his second spell there Barbosa scored 18 goals in 35 appearances for the club, as they finished tenth in the Brazilian Série A table.
Since leaving his native Brazil in 2016, Barbosa has struggled to settle down in Europe. With no breakthrough in Italy, Inter loaned him out to then Portuguese champions Benfica a year into his time with the Nerazzurri.
However, he only mustered five appearances with the Lisbon club, netting once. Five months later Inter recalled him and loaned him out to his former club Santos in 2018, with the spell coming to an end at the end of last year.
Source : 90min