Everton linked with Brazilian international striker

Everton are reportedly one of a number of Premier League teams who are interested in Intern Milan forward, Gabriel Barbosa.

Everton‘s bid to add another forward to the squad, appears to have hit a road block of late, especially their attempts to bring in Olivier Giroud. More recently, they have been linked with Leicester City’s Islam Slimani, although there is nothing fresh to add at this stage.

Whether the Blues remain confident in acquiring either target or not, they are not going to limit their search for more help up front. As per the Echo‘s Joe Rimmer, they apparently have another target in their sights.

Rimmer reports that Everton have been linked with Inter Milan’s Gabriel Garbosa, even though he only signed a five-year deal last summer. So far, he has struggled to make an impact at the San Siro.

Whether Garbosa is prepared to give up so soon after arriving in Italy is open to question. Regardless, after just 10 appearances and one goal last season, the belief is his advisors are eager to find him a new club, to kick-start his career in Europe.

Given the 20-year-old’s recent struggles, you could be forgiven for wondering why the Toffees would even be interested in him? The key word is “potential”, with him repeatedly referred to as “the next Neymar”.

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Even if Garbasa cannot quite live up to this high expectation, he is still a talented player, with a promising future in front of him. In particular, analysts rave about his technical skill and creativity.

In fairness to Garbosa, he enjoyed excellent success at his previous club, Santos, where he started off in their youth setup. Between 2013 and 2016, he made 154 appearances for the first team and scored 56 goals.

The Brazilian has also played at every level of international football. This includes four appearances and two goals for the senior team.

With all this in mind, it is understandable why Everton would be interested. However, they will have a fight on their hands.

As reported by Rimmer, Liverpool, Tottenham, Leicester, West Ham, Stoke, Southampton and Swansea have also been linked with Garbosa. (Manchester United and Chelsea were also reportedly interested in him last summer, before he joined Inter.) This is one rumour worth keeping an eye on in the coming days and weeks.

Next: Wayne Rooney dreams of European success with Everton

Are you familiar with Barbosa? If so, what is your opinion of him? More to the point, does he strike you as the type of player who can help Everton? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.