Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa was the star in Sunday’s Copa Libertadores final in Lima, scoring 2 late goals to win the match for Flamengo, and it’s since been revealed that he’s a player on Newcastle’s radar.
The Chronicle report that our scouts have been watching him in Brazil, with club officials keeping tabs on him even before Sunday’s heroics.
The 23-year-old striker made a big money move to Inter Milan in 2016 but has been labeled as a disappointment by Italian media after failing to impress for the Serie A side.
He has since been on loan for 3 seasons in a row, with his latest move being to Flamengo in Brazil – and to say he’s impressed would be an understatement.
Barbosa has scored an incredible 31 goals and assisting 10 in all competitions this season for Flamengo, but loan spell in Brazil ends on December 31, meaning he’ll be available in January upon his return to Inter Milan.
Barbosa will be offered to a host of European clubs in January, with Inter expected to sell for £20m after his rise to stardom in South America, and reports are claiming that Newcastle are among those interested.
Although his stats are impressive this season, we spent big money on another unproven Brazilian striker in Joelinton just a few months ago – and it’s safe to sat he really hasn’t got going yet.
He looks a talent, but it’s hard to see the club splashing cash out on another exciting yet unproven young striker when a proven Premier League goal scorer is clearly what we need.
As we saw over the summer though, the decisions this club makes under Mike Ashley rarely make sense.
