Flamengo signs Gabriel from Inter Milan in 5-year deal

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SAO PAULO (AP) — Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo signed 23-year-old striker Gabriel Barbosa from Inter Milan on a permanent basis on Tuesday.

Inter loaned Barbosa to the Rio de Janeiro club last year. He had struggled to settle in Italy when he first arrived in 2016.

Barbosa was Flamengo's leading scorer in the campaign that led to the club's first South American championship in 38 years and its seventh Brazilian title. The striker scored 43 goals last year, equaling Neymar's best scoring seasons in the region back in 2010 and 2012 playing for Santos.

“If it is for the good of the (Flamengo) nation, I will stay," Barbosa said in a video published on his social media channels.

Brazilian media reported Flamengo will pay 17 million euros ($18.7 million) for the striker.