Premier League suitors including Liverpool and Tottenham are thought to be pondering an approach after Brazilian winger Malcom was reportedly cleared to leave Barcelona this summer.
The 22-year-old forward joined Ernesto Valverde’s side in a surprise move from Bordeaux last summer, but has struggled for game time in Catalonia and has only featured 12 times in LaLiga and twice in the Champions League.
Malcom came close to joining Roma before ditching the Italians at the 11th hour last summer, while a number of Premier League clubs were also sniffing around the player.
But according to ESPN, Malcom has informed Barcelona he wants to leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season – and Barca chiefs have informed his agent they won’t stand in his way.
According to the report, Barca have told Malcom they will let him leave if any club matches the €40m (£36.5m) fee they splashed out on him last summer – and the fee is unlikely to deter his Premier League suitors.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN that he will look to move on in the summer, with his agents already offering him across Europe.
“He is a good footballer and has a good reputation,” a club source told ESPN FC. “He’s had the option to leave now for a while and we have to respect his decision. But Barca aren’t going to give him away.”
The writing was perhaps on the wall for Malcom when Valverde admitted a few months into the season that the player “was a signing made by the club” – indicating it wasn’t his decision to bring him to the club.
A number of Italians clubs are also expected to move for the player with AC Milan strongly linked in the Italian press, while Arsenal were also mentioned as suitors back in the January transfer window.
