Report: Malcom on the Verge of Signing With Barcelona After Late Roma Snub
Barcelona's late attempt to hijack AS Roma's move for Bordeaux winger Malcom seems to have paid off, and the young Brazilian has reportedly agreed a deal with the Catalan club.
It came out of nowhere, in the 11th hour on Monday night. During the day, Roma had come to an agreement with Malcom's French employers - and fans of the Italian side had even begun to gather at the airport in anticipation for the 21-year-old's arrival.
However, the news was soon broken by Mundo Deportivo that La Blaugrana - after giving up on their pursuit of Chelsea winger Willian - had gazumped Roma, outbidding the Serie A side and effectively halting Malcom's move to Italy.
And now, after having a €41m bid accepted by Bordeaux, freelance Italian journalist John Solano has claimed that the player has agreed personal terms with the Spanish champions, and will sign a five-year contract at Camp Nou in the coming days.
If this news proves to be true, Barca have pulled off another brilliant transfer this summer.
With Clement Lenglet (23) joining from Sevilla, and Arthur (21) also arriving into Catalonia from Gremio, the club will have picked up three quality young players for just over €100m in total; tying each player down to long term contracts in the process.
It's clever work from a club that has largely worked under the radar this summer, as Ernesto Valverde continues to prepare his side for the next generation of the Barcelona squad.
There's no specific time frame of when Malcom's signing will go through just yet, but completion of the deal isn't expected to be far away at all.
