A respected South American football expert says Newcastle want to hijack a bid for reported West Ham striker target Gabriel Barbosa.
West Ham are eyeing a January move to sign Flamengo striker Barbosa according to a report from 90 Min last month.
The Hammers have been relying solely on Michail Antonio for the last year since selling Sebastien Haller to Ajax.
Newcastle United are equally dependent on injury-prone Callum Wilson for goals.
The difference is West Ham are pushing for the top four again this season and Newcastle are once more fighting to stave off relegation.
So West Ham and Newcastle need a new striker for very different reasons.
West Ham and Newcastle have both been linked with a host of forwards.
90 Min claims David Moyes is seriously considering a bid for Barbosa – nicknamed Gabigol – having first been linked with him two years ago when the 25-year-old was leaving Inter Milan for a return to Brazil.
But according to respected South American football expert Tim Vickery in his column for ESPN, Newcastle are now pushing to try and sign Barbosa ahead of the likes of West Ham.
Respected South American expert says Newcastle want to hijack West Ham striker bid for Gabriel Barbosa
“Gabriel is 25 and has already had one attempt at playing in Europe, when he was a resounding flop with Inter Milan and Benfica,” Vickery writes on ESPN.
“He is undoubtedly a better player now, and certainly a more established one after three magnificent years back in Brazil with Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo. But does he want, and will he be given, a second chance at European success?
“It would be an intriguing challenge for a coach to unlock the potential of a player with undoubted ability who may have matured more slowly than the average.
“There has been some speculation that some clubs, and specifically Newcastle, might be interested in taking Gabriel on loan with an option to sign him permanently but it remains to be seen whether either Flamengo or the player would be willing to proceed on these terms.”
If you were a player moving to the Premier League and had a choice between West Ham and Newcastle right now who would you choose?
It would surely be a no-brainer for most.
But it must be factored in that Newcastle are now unofficially the richest football club in the world.
That means the Magpies have resources available to them which could sway a deal.