Arsenal want to finalise a deal with Bordeaux for Malcom this weekend, and they’ve planned a meeting with his representatives to do so.

The Brazilian outlet, Jornal dos Desportos, wrote on Friday that the Gunners want to agree terms quickly, to avoid missing out.

Arsenal are reportedly concerned that a Premier League rival could come in and steal the deal away.

Bordeaux are asking for £44.5m to let the 20-year-old go.

According to various reports, including Goal and David Ornstein, Malcom is Arsenal’s first choice replacement for Alexis Sanchez.

If that’s the case, the Gunners should bring in at least £20m for the Chilean, before buying.

Signing the Brazilian for net £24.5m isn’t exactly a major expense. Especially when the club have brought in so much money since they last bought a player.

After buying Alexandre Lacazette in early July, Arsenal made £74.43m selling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wojciech Szczesny, Gabriel Paulista, Kieran Gibbs and Francis Coquelin.

That’s more than enough to cover Bordeaux’s asking price on its own. Add in additional club revenue and the Sanchez sale and it should be a straight-forward negotiation.

It’s Arsenal, so it probably won’t be that easy. Nonetheless, we can always dream that the Gunners will land their first-choice target in a timely manner, for once.