Report: Nottingham Forest make £16m bid for Newcastle target who has 'all the attributes to become a star'

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United have both been linked with Santos talent Angelo Gabriel.

Earlier this month, Italian outlet Calciomercato reported that the Magpies like the 18-year-old a lot.

Newcastle reportedly approached Santos last summer but were knocked back with a £17m offer.

Now, a report from Brazil has claimed that Steve Cooper’s Forest have tried their luck with a second bid for Angelo.

According to Diario do Peixe, the City Ground side offered Santos €15m (£13m), but the club turned it down.

However, Forest have now upped their offer to €18m (£16m), claimed the Brazilian outlet.

Diario do Peixe doesn’t state whether this would be enough for Santos to part company with their player.

As well as Forest and Newcastle, Italian giants AC Milan are apparently in pursuit of the young forward too.

Gazzetta dello Sport – via Sport Witness – reported earlier this month that Santos want €20-25m for Angelo.

Nottingham Forest and Newcastle target Angelo – factfile

Santos have produced many world-class talents over the years, including Pele, Neymar, Rodrygo and Kaio Jorge.

And Angelo could well be next in line.

The youngster made his debut at the age of 15 and is the youngest player ever to play for the Brazilian club.

He is also the youngest scorer in Copa Libertadores for his club.

Scouting website Breaking the Lines published an in-depth analysis of Angelo last summer.

‘Angelo is a left-footed winger who plays on the right-hand side,’ they wrote.

‘From here, he will like to cut inside onto his left and make an impact on his team.

‘He possesses great dribbling skills as indicated above and likes to take his man on.

‘He also likes to provide and creates chances for his team.

‘However, the one thing noticed is that Angelo currently lacks that strong finish which I am sure he will develop over time.

‘If at this stage we can give a slight comparison, I would say he plays like Rodrygo, in terms of his movement on and off the ball.

‘There is no doubt that there is something special about Angelo.

‘He has all the attributes to become a star and follow in the footsteps of some of the other talents that have gone on to bigger things after moving from Santos.’

And Betinho, Angelo’s former teacher and first coach, told Correio Brasiliense, via Goal.com: “He is like Neymar in terms of his dribbling at speed and his change of direction.”

One for the future – TBR View

Forest have established transfer links with Brazil of late. Gustavo Scarpa and Danilo both joined from Palmeiras this month.

However, Newcastle seem to have been monitoring Angelo for months now, and they also have some Brazilians on board at St James’ Park.

Both options would be good for Angelo – as would Milan, in all fairness.

The likelihood is he wouldn’t be thrown in at the deep end, as he’d need time to acclimatise to a different style of football.

Nonetheless, Angelo looks like a star in the making and the Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world for the top playeras to showcase their talent.