Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City could be set for a three-way battle for Inter Milan forward Gabriel Barbosa after it emerged he is set to leave the Serie A club on loan when the January window opens.
It is believed the Premier League trio were all keen on the 20-year-old when he was at Santos, but Brazilian decided to join Inter Milan instead.
However, Barbosa, who has been dubbed the ‘next Neymar’ and is nicknamed ‘Gabigoal’ because of his goal-scoring form, has endured a disappointing start to life in Italy by managing only 16 minutes of Serie A action and could already be out the door.
According to Italian publication Sportmediaset, as reported by talkSPORT, Barbosa will be sent out on loan when the winter transfer window opens which could see Arsenal rekindle their interest.
Arsene Wenger did manage to sign a striker over the summer in the shape of Lucas Perez. However, the Spaniard has struggled to stake a claim in the starting XI and has yet to offer real competition to Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez. To add insult to injury, Perez is out of action until mid-December after picking up a knock on his ankle against Reading in the EFL Cup in late-October.
Many will still claim that Arsenal need more firepower to ensure they can challenge for the title this season, and perhaps a loan move for Barbosa is worth a shot this January.
