Former Everton target Barbosa in negotiations to leave Inter permanently

Flamengo have opened permanent transfer talks with Inter Milan over loan star and former Everton target Gabriel Barbosa, according to reports.

The Brazilian striker had attracted plenty of Premier League attention in the summer, with both West Ham and the Toffees interested in signing the forward.

Now Barbosa, commonly known as Gabigol, could be set to commit his future to playing in his native Brazil.

Since signing for Flamengo, Barbosa has scored 22 goals in 26 league games, an impressive goalscoring run that he was unable to translate to European football.

For both Benfica and Inter Milan, the 23-year old failed to impress, leading to his Flamengo loan being the second short-term spell back in Brazil for the former, having first signed on loan for Santos.

While Mail Online report that Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace are all admirers of Barbosa, Flamengo are hoping that the forward would be open to continuing his impressive run with them by turning his loan deal permanent.

Flamengo’s president, Roldolgo Landim, has confirmed that the club are in negotiations with the Nerrazurri, saying:

We have been in touch with Inter. We haven’t agreed on anything yet, but the negotiations are well under way.

Everything will depend on what the player would like to do and, thereafter, we will have to discuss the wages.

Read Everton Verdict

Barbosa’s European track record is very disheartening, so I don’t think Everton have particularly missed out on the young forward.

I’m sure that if Marcel Brands can see something in him, then he probably has room to progress and grow, but speaking strictly with the knowledge of what he has already done in Italy and Portugal, there is little to prove that he is up to task.

Besides, with the issues plaguing Everton at the moment, Barbosa would not have been a primary concern ahead of the January window.