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FC Barcelona are close to completing a deal for 19-year-old Gabriel Novaes, who plays for São Paulo’s youth team, according to both the Brazilian Globoesporte and the Catalan Mundo Deportivo. The player would come on an 18-month loan deal with a buy option set for 2020, which is said to be rated at 5 million euro.
Barcelona see him as a B team player for the moment, although he would first be loaned out to yet another club. He does not have an EU passport, and it is thought it would be easier for him to play for a senior team in the Segunda, rather than a B team, due to bureaucratic reasons. The team said to be his destination is Gimnàstic, from Tarragona, also in Catalonia.
The player is reportedly traveling today to Barcelona to undergo a medical.
He is seen as one for the future due to his goalscoring ability. He has been praised for his height, shooting, and first touch in the São Paulo state under-20 cup known as the “Copinha.”