Flamengo vice-president Marcos Braz has confirmed that the Mengao are trying to sign striker Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa on a permanent deal from Inter.

The Brazilian forward has been in phenomenal form during his loan spell with the club averaging almost a goal a game and looks to have got his career back on track after dismal spells with Inter and Benfica.

“Our contract with him lasts until 31 December. From that date on, we will try to complete the outright purchase,” Braz told Brazilian news outlet Lance!.

“We have never stopped working, except for when we tried to sign Mario Balotelli. We need to be calm and take our time otherwise he will eventually cost us too much.”

23-year-old Gabigol joined Inter back in 2016 with a lot of hype surrounding him in a circa €30 million deal from Santos and still has a contract with Inter until the end of the 2021/22 season.