Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 7y

Gabriel 'Gabigol' Barbosa could leave Inter Milan on loan next season - agent

Inter Milan forward Gabriel Barbosa will go out on loan next season if he does not get more regular playing time, his agent has told Fox Sports Brazil.

Barbosa, nicknamed Gabigol, has made only seven Serie A appearances and scored one goal since joining from Santos last summer.

His most recent appearance, in February, was 15 minutes as a substitute and agent Wagner Ribeiro said: "I've just got back from Milan, where I spoke to Inter directors.

"We will resolve the issue in that if he does not play, or rather he is not given a chance -- and I don't mean necessarily in the starting XI -- we will send him out on loan to another European club."

But Ribeiro stressed that 20-year-old Barbosa would not be returning to Brazil.

The forward has been on the bench for Inter's last six Serie A fixtures and is not expected to figure when they face Fiorentina in a key match this weekend.

Four points separate them from fifth-placed Atalanta and a place in the Europa League next season, and coach Stefano Pioli told a news conference: "I'm optimistic given the desire I see in my team right now -- optimistic that we will end the season in a different league position to the one we are in right now.

"We are certainly worth more than our recent results suggest."

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