Bordeaux President Claims Tottenham, Arsenal Target Malcom Won't Be Leaving
Both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal's pursuit of Bordeaux star Malcom could well have hit its final roadblock after club president Stephane Martin unequivocally denied that the Brazilian would be leaving the Ligue 1 outfit this month.
The 20-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to both north London clubs during the winter transfer window, with Spurs reportedly taking the drivers seat in recent weeks.
It was thought that a fee of around €45m (£40m) would be enough to lure the creative youngster away from the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, however any potential move now looks increasingly unlikely.
Tottenham were keen to use past relationships with former player Gus Poyet, who has recently been instated as Bordeaux manager, in order to even secure a deal before the deadline on Wednesday evening that would involve Malcom remaining in France on loan for the remainder of the season.
However, club president Martin has confirmed that the Ligue 1 outfit's not for sale stance is still in tact, and that the highly thought of Brazil Under-20 international will remain with the club until at least the end of this campaign.
"There is no shadow of ambiguity, Malcom stays at Bordeaux", Martin told French newspaper Sud OuestRead, as quoted by talkSPORT.
The news will come as a blow to both Tottenham and Arsenal who have together attempted to strengthen their attacking options since the beginning of this month.
However, should the expected business for each side go through; the Gunners' pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Spurs' of Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura, holding out for a further six months may not be as detrimental to the rest of their respective campaigns as initially feared.
