Barcelona Transfer News: Gabigol Saga Continues, Latest Hector Bellerin Rumours

Inter Milan may have sealed the transfer of Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa, but Barcelona are unhappy with Santos and the way they handled the deal. Meanwhile, manager Luis Enrique has reportedly given up on signing Arsenal starlet Hector Bellerin.

According to Brazilian outlet UOL Esporte (h/t Sport), the Blaugrana were not given enough time to match Inter's offer for Gabigol, having secured first option on the Brazilian forward in 2013.

A leaked fax claims the original deal required Santos to give the Catalans three working days to review the offer, and the Brazilian club did no such thing. The fax was dated August 29, as reported by Sport:

"

In accordance to the above referred Section 4, Barcelona would have a three business day period to manifest its intent to exercise its preferential rights.

Santos FC received the offer from a third party club yesterday, Aug. 28, and as Barcelona is fully aware any international transfer must be completed no later than Aug. 31. For such urgent situations, we kindly ask Barcelona to manifest their intentions to execute its preferential rights until Aug. 30, 5am (Santos times) or 10am (Barcelona time).

"

Per the report, the Blaugrana will report Santos to FIFA, and the club could seek damages.

Gabigol became Santos' biggest star following the sale of Neymar to Barcelona and established himself as the next great Brazilian talent. The budding star scored with regularity in Brazil's top league, drawing comparisons with Luis Suarez for his playing style.

ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

He was linked with a host of clubs during the summer, but Barcelona's option gave them the upper hand on the competition. Per Sport, the youngster told reporters he'd love to team up with Neymar after the 2016 Summer Olympics, further fuelling the links with Barcelona.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

Per Juan Jimenez of AS, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed the Catalans could sue Santos as a result of the deal. As reported by Football Espana, Santos sued the Catalans over the Neymar transfer last year, so even if Barcelona had no intention of matching Inter's offer, they won't be afraid to return the favour.

Meanwhile, El Mundo Deportivo (h/t the Daily Star's Jamie Styles) reports Enrique no longer feels the need to chase former Barcelona academy member and current Arsenal star Bellerin, as he's happy with the progression Sergi Roberto has made.

Bellerin was linked with a move back to the Camp Nou during the summer, as the Catalans needed a replacement for Dani Alves, who left the club for Juventus. Roberto has moved back into the right-back role, however, and has started the 2016-17 campaign in fine form.

Roberto mainly featured in midfield last year, where he flashed his talent and positioned himself for a bigger role this season. Here are some of his highlights:

Arsenal and Bellerin maintained the 21-year-old wouldn't return to his former club throughout the summer, and the speedster likely would have cost the club a massive transfer fee. While he's far from the finished project, his raw pace and attacking instincts make him one of the top prospects at the right-back position in all of football.

Roberto isn't nearly as athletic as Bellerin, but he's a very intelligent player who always seems to make the right decisions and has the dribbling skills to stick out wide. His versatility remains his biggest asset, via Kristan Heneage of Yahoo Sport UK:

The Bellerin links will likely never disappear completely, but if Roberto continues his development and keeps playing the way he has, don't expect Enrique to be tempted to break the bank for Bellerin.