Arsenal linked with Barca’s Malcom while waiting on Zaha

Arsenal have renewed interest in bringing Barcelona winger Malcom over to north London while their push to secure Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace continues to be stymied.

According to reports from Goal, Arsenal (along with Tottenham) have been linked with 22-year old Brazilian winger Malcom from Barcelona.

This is not the first time the Gunners have been in pursuit of the young playmaker.

Two seasons ago, during Arsene Wenger’s tenure, Arsenal were keen to sign Malcom from Ligue 1 side, Bordeaux. The two sides could not reach an agreement and Malcom ended up joining Barca.

Then, during the January transfer window last season, reports again surfaced that Arsenal were interested in trying to bring Malcom aboard, this time he would come over with Barca teammate Denis Suarez.

The deal fell apart on deadline day, with Arsenal reportedly pulling out after Barca’s loan fee demand was too high.

Fast forward to current-day, the Gunners are again looking at bringing Malcom to the Emirates. According to The Sun, and other media outlets, Arsenal want Malcom to join on loan, while Barca are only interested in a permanent move.

That caveat makes sense with Barca’s interest in bringing back Neymar. According to SPORT, Malcom’s camp has been advised that if Neymar does arrive back in Spain, there would be no room for the Brazilian on their roster.

The young Brazilian international has not found his time in Barcelona to be very fruitful.

After making 35 appearances, with 32 starts, for Bordeaux in his final season there, Malcom only made 15 appearances for Barca in 2018-2019.

Arsenal have made it clear that one of the main priorities in this transfer window is to bring in a wing player.

The club has made an offer of £40 million to Crystal Palace for the electrifying Wilfried Zaha, but their interest was shot down due to Palace valuing their man at closer to £80 million, which would seem to be out of Arsenal’s transfer budget price range.

It seems unlikely that Palace will get the fee they seek for Zaha, which leaves the question of how low they will go to accept an offer. If Barca’s reported fee of £36 million for Malcom is true, the Gunners may decide to go with the younger, cheaper option.

If Arsenal do decide to go all-in on a Malcom transfer, it could be just the type of bold move needed to spark a resurgence from a once coveted player and a club turnaround at the Emirates in the upcoming campaign.

What do you think will be the resolution to this transfer saga? Will Malcom finally end up at the Emirates? Will Palace cave-in to the fee and agree to terms with Arsenal on Zaha? Will the Gunners be left without signing a winger all together at the end of the window? Let us know in the comments!