Newcastle keen on Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa | OneFootball

An update has emerged on Flamengo gem Gabriel Barbosa, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, the Magpies are considering a bid for the Brazilian centre-forward, who is set to be available for a fee in the region of £30m.

The report claims that he is interested in a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham among the other clubs keen on landing him.

Should Newcastle sign Barbosa?

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Imagine him & Wilson

PIF could land a dream deal for Howe and Newcastle by signing Barbosa as it could help the ex-Bournemouth boss in using his favoured formation.

The 43-year-old likes to deploy a 4-4-2 and that requires two strikers who can function alongside each other as an effective pair. In the Flamengo man, they could find an ideal foil to Wilson – who has 17 league goals since the start of last season – and create a deadly strike pairing that could excite supporters in the second half of the campaign – just imagine that.

His goalscoring record at club level is phenomenal. He has scored 84 goals in 122 games for Flamengo, including 11 goals in 13 Libertadores matches and 12 in 17 in the Serie A this year. This shows that he has the quality to score goals at a consistent rate, whilst he has also been tipped for bigger things.

Former Brazil international Zico once claimed that the attacker has what it takes to become one of the greats. He told O Dia (via TNT Sports):

“I think Gabigol has everything to be the greatest striker in Flamengo’s history. It’s getting there. His performance got better and better, consolidating himself as one of the greats.

“He’s already gone down in history. He is young and can do much more, and hopefully, he can do it. Doing this is always good to give joy to the Rubro-Negro fan and, logically, we always expect this from a guy who has the potential that he has.”

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These quotes suggest that there is more to come from Barbosa and, at the age of 25, he could fulfill his potential at St. James’ Park. His goal return for Flamengo is exceptional but it remains to be seen whether or not he can have a similar impact in England, with a move to Newcastle in January potentially a career-defining transfer for him.

He could benefit from playing in a front two with Wilson as he would not be tasked with shouldering the responsibility of leading the line on his own. Therefore, it could be a dream deal for all involved, with Howe getting a player to suit his system, Barbosa offered a Premier League opportunity and Newcastle bolstering their squad.