Brazilian striker, Gabriel Barbosa, who was strongly linked with a move to Chelsea in 2020, has been banned from football for two years following a doping fraud investigation. He plans to appeal this decision.
The player, more commonly known as 'Gabigol', was said to be a top target for the club under Frank Lampard and also previously under Antonio Conte in 2016. The Sun claimed that the Blues were set to beat off competition from Barcelona and Juventus for his signature ahead of the title-winning season under the Italian.
At the time he left to join Inter from Santos before moving to Benfica on loan briefly. He rejoined Santos and then eventually swapped Italy for South America again when signed by Flamengo.
Boasting an impressive record as a youngster — 65 goals in 164 games and being described as the 'new Neymar' — he remained one of the most popular wonderkids in the world. After a stuttering period in Europe, Chelsea were tipped to bring him in for reinforcements following their 2019 transfer ban. Gabigol was also pursued by West Ham.
Lampard was reportedly keen to add him to a young Chelsea squad as competition for Tammy Abraham. Now 27, he has previously expressed his desire to play in England. «I like the Premier League very much,» he said. «It combines technique, strength and speed. I always follow the games from Brazil.
»It really is a place I would like to play. It’s one of the best leagues in the world. Every player dreams of being a champion and winning the Premier League must be indescribable."
Chelsea face FFP transfer uncertainty amid £60m Marc Cucurella dilemma
Chelsea could secure £90m transfer windfall in Euro 2024 as FFP questions remain
Last year, there were reports that Manchester United were keen on
Read on football.london