*updated on 8th January 2020*
Chelsea and West Ham United have been given a huge boost in the signing of Gabriel Barbosa – according to reports.
Gabriel Barbosa joined Inter Milan in the summer of 2016 but since then the forward has moved around various loan spell and right now he is out on loan to Flamengo.
At Flamengo, the 23-year-old has really hit his peak form scoring 43 goals in just 59 appearances over the past year which is why a number of big European clubs have shown interest in signing him.
Both Chelsea and the Hammers are planning to bring in reinforcements during the January transfer window and as per reports, both these are ready to fight it out for the signature of Gabriel Barbosa.
Up until last week, it was still not sure as to what the future holds for the centre-forward but now it seems the player will be ending his loan spell with Flamengo.
Barbosa recently posted a tweet in which he thanked the Flamengo fans and also the club which is a clear indication that he is heading back to Europe.
And there’s a large number of people who feel that he could be playing in the Premier League very soon.
It’s no secret that Inter Milan have no interest in keeping the player and will be more than happy to cash in on the forward.
The Blues are set to let Olivier Giroud move out and maybe Michy Batshuayi is also heading out and if they can manage to bring in Gabriel Barbosa as a backup to Tammy Abraham then surely it will be a job well done.
The Hammers, on the other hand, are struggling in the league but now they have a new manager in the form of David Moyes who will surely try and bring in some fresh legs this month.
Now what we have to wait and see is just how much Inter Milan are actually quoting for the sale of Gabriel Barbosa.
UPDATE(5th January 2020):
Multiple reports have now been claiming that Frank Lampard has made the signing of Gabriel Barbosa one of his top priorities.
The manager had earlier said that Olivier Giroud could leave Chelsea this month and some reports claim that Batshuayi could also be on his way out of the club.
This could only mean that the manager is clearing out locker room space for his new arrivals and many believe that Gabriel Barbosa could be one of them.
If this holds true then it will surely be a big blow for West Ham United since they too have shown interest in the player.
But while Moyes has been keeping tabs on Barbosa, the Hammers boss is also reportedly eager to make a move for Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud.
Updated(8th January 2020):
It looks like West Ham United have received a major boost in the signing of Barbosa since multiple reports claim Chelsea are no longer pursuing a move for the 23-year-old.
As per the news, Frank Lampard has dropped his interest in signing the forward meaning David Moyes now has a free run in signing him.
