Manchester United Transfer News: Gabriel Barbosa Claims Denied, Latest Rumours

Wagner Ribeiro, agent of Santos forward Gabriel Barbosa, has rejected reports that Manchester United are interested in his client.

According to Globo Esporte's Lucas Musetti (h/t Lucas Sposito of Sport Witness), Ribeiro described a report in the Sun as "only a speculation."

On Monday, Graeme Bryce of the Sun had reported in an exclusive that the Red Devils were set to snap up Gabigol in a sensational £30 million move.

The 19-year-old is currently on Olympic duty with Brazil and has scored two goals in Rio thus far.

Gabigol can play as a striker, but as Sposito notes, he can play wide on the right as well:

The Red Devils are well-stocked with attacking midfield options this season after bringing in Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but they perhaps still lack a little width, while an injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic would leave them with the same options at centre-forward as last season.

Here are some of Gabigol's highlights this season, in which he has netted five goals for Santos in 10 appearances:

The youngster clearly possesses great potential, and a move to Europe seems likely at some point. However, it's unlikely there will be any significant developments in his future until the Olympics are over.

Meanwhile, according to Sky Sports' Michael Kelleher, Roma and Napoli are hoping to bring United right-back Matteo Darmian back to Serie A, with the Italian seemingly having lost his place to Antonio Valencia.

Darmian did not feature on the bench in either the Community Shield or United's Premier League opener, and he endured a mixed campaign last year.

Football writer Liam Canning hopes the 26-year-old will be given time to find his feet at Old Trafford:

Indeed, Darmian could well become a solid performer for the Red Devils, while his ability to provide cover on the left also makes him a useful player to have in the squad.

Antonio Valencia has begun the season well but is 31 and has not been at his best for some years. While it looks as though he could go on to have a strong campaign, Darmian deserves the chance to prove he can become the Colombian's long-term successor.