LaLiga: Barcelona sign Malcom

Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Brazilian forward Malcom from Bordeaux for 36.5 million pounds, even though Serie A side AS Roma had announced that they were set to sign the same player a day before. Bordeaux had accepted the offer from Roma, but eventually the player chose to sign a five-year contract with Barcelona instead of joining the Serie A club. Roma sporting director Monchi was quite upset about the turn of events: "Early this morning I spoke with Malcom's agent, Fernando Garcia, who had a meeting with Bordeaux planned at 12pm to confirm everything was in place for the player to travel to Rome in the evening. After that I was surprised to be told that the agents and Bordeaux wanted another improved offer, as Barcelona were still pushing for a deal. I told them enough, because we did not want to enter an auction. It is true that nothing was signed, but there are many messages with the agents and their president that are at least worth being assessed." Malcom had joined Monaco from Corinthians in 2016 and went on to score 20 goals in 84 appearances in Ligue 1. The 21-year-old has not been called up to the senior national team of Brazil yet, but he scored 2 goals in 11 appearances for the Under-20s. Last season he was the best player at Bordeaux, scoring 12 goals in 35 league appearances. The Brazilian youngster has great technique and also a very good ability to shoot with his left foot, along with the capacity to provide assists for his team-mates. "The operation will cost 41 million euros and 1 million in variables," Barcelona confirmed in an official statement. "Malcom is an attacking player with a great future ahead of him. He stands out due to his electrifying pace and his technique with the ball at his feet. Malcom is a daring, pacey forward with an ability to shoot from distance. Despite being left footed, he is no slouch with his right also and can play on either flank. He has mainly operated on the right hand side so far in his career to great success, attacking defenders and getting into the box at every opportunity. Aside from his speed, he also has great technical ability and links up well with his team mates, one of the main aspects of Barça's football." Malcom is the second signing of the summer for Barcelona after the arrival of Brazilian midfielder Arthur from Gremio for 35.5 million pounds. Barcelona are 8/11 at Bet365 to win the title in LaLiga next season.