West Ham want Brazilian international Gabriel Barbosa - a good deal?

Bengaluru, January 6: West Ham United are heavily interested in bringing Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa back to Europe, as per reports in England.

It is also reported that the interest is mutual with the 25-year-old also desperate for a move to the East London club. The Hammers’ need for a top-class striker has been well-documented over the past year.

Sebastien Haller left the London Stadium for Ajax in January 2021 and since then, the Hammers have been heavily reliant on Michail Antonio and do not have any alternative to the Englishman at all.

For a club, who have drastically improved over the last 12 months and are ambitious enough to break into the top four having missed out on champions League qualification last season, relying on a single player is far from ideal and not sustainable by any means.

David Moyes needs to act soon in the market to take the burden off the shoulders of his star forward and it is believed that Gabriel Barbosa aka Gabigol is is preferred target.

Gabigol has been red hot for Brazilian giants Flamengo over the last few seasons having scored 84 goals and provided 26 assists in 124 games for the Scarlet-Black.

While Gabigol's performance in Brazil has been nothing short of spectacular, West Ham must be wary about his previous record in Europe.

Having been snapped up by Inter Milan from Santos in 2016, the Brazilian miserably failed at San Siro and also found no luck having been shipped out on loan to Benfica.

The fact that he is still just 25 years of age and is much more matured now as a footballer and also as a person than he was five years before could mean that he could be more than ready for the step up from Brazilian League to the Premier League.

The Brazilian international has all the ingredients in his game to become a hit in the Premier League. He is strong and fast and is also very much hard-working.

Whether to take a chance or not with the former Inter star is West Ham's decision to take but if the gamble pays off, it could prove to be a era-defining move by the Hammers.