Transfer Centre

Chelsea chose Tammy Abraham over Gabriel Barbosa?

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 25 May 2017

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte reportedly turned down the chance to sign Gabriel Barbosa - now at Inter Milan - because of his faith in Tammy Abraham.

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has reportedly decided that Tammy Abraham will be part of his long-term plans at Stamford Bridge.

Since Conte arrived at the club, the future of the young forward had been up for debate but it appears that the Italian showed faith in the England Under-21 international as early as last summer.

According to The Telegraph, Conte turned down the chance to sign Brazilian prospect Gabriel Barbosa before he eventually signed for Inter Milan.

At the time, the attacker had been linked with a number of clubs in Europe, but it has been suggested that a transfer to Chelsea may have been on the cards until Conte planned for Abraham's future introduction to his squad.

The 19-year-old spent the season on loan at Bristol City, where he managed to net 26 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.

Abraham is expected to spend another 12 months away from the West Londoners before potentially taking a place in the senior setup for the 2018-19 campaign.