Gabriel not happy at Inter, says agent

Inter striker Gabriel Barbosa is unhappy at San Siro and could leave the club on loan in January, his agent has said.

The 20-year-old Brazil international has made only one appearance this season since joining from Santos for a reported €29.5million fee in August.

Inter director Piero Ausilio stressed in September that the forward, nicknamed Gabigol, would need time to adapt to life in Serie A, especially as he missed the majority of pre-season preparations while playing for Brazil at the Olympics.

But with new head coach Stefano Pioli yet to give Gabriel a chance to impress, agent Wagner Ribeiro says he could look to join another club in Italy in the transfer window.

“Gabriel is not happy at the moment,” he said on Radio Bandeirantes. “It’s not about dressing-room issues with his team-mates. The problem is that he’s never been given a chance to get on the pitch.

“We want the situation to be resolved in January. [Former coach] Frank de Boer said that there was no problem with Gabriel but, even now, Pioli, isn’t giving the boy a chance.

“If you don’t get onto the pitch when your teams is three goals down, like at Napoli [last Friday], when do you play?

“It’s possible that he’ll return to Brazil in 2017, although that would be hard for him as it would be a step backwards, a defeat.

“There’s also the question of the non-EU slot at Inter to consider: if he goes out on loan then he’ll lose that place that he took when they bought him.

“That’s why it’s easier to move on loan to another Italian club.”