OPINION
West Ham will pull off a masterstroke if they sign Brazilian goal machine Gabriel Barbosa.
The striker who is destined for the Premier League has the potential to be even better for the Hammers than main man Marko Arnautovic.
Is a deal possible? Yes, it seemingly is, judging by an interview with the player in the Daily Mail in which he expresses his desire to quit Inter Milan for England and hails his suitors West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace as “important clubs”.
Barbosa has two-and-a-half years remaining on an Inter contract worth £80,000-a-week but he is on loan to Santos, where he has scored 22 goals in 38 games this season.
Crucially, the Mail report Inter are ready to cash in on Barbosa and sell him in January for £18million, which would be an £8million hit on the man they signed in 2016 after he helped Brazil to Olympic gold in Rio.
Nicknamed ‘Gabigol’ and tipped for greatness by Inter legend Ronaldo when he completed a move to Italy two years ago, Barbosa is young – he turned 22 in August – super talented and is available.
He has blistering pace, an explosive left foot and an eye for goal that has already earned him four Brazil caps, which have yielded two goals.
He is a special talent who can make an even bigger impact than current star Arnautovic, who is 29 and will soon start beginning the downhill descent all players experience in their 30s.
Barbosa can be even more explosive than the big Austrian, and West Ham would pull off a blinder if they got him.