Arsenal have expressed an interest in signing Barcelona forward Malcom on loan in January, but Tottenham Hotspur are looking to hijack the deal with a €50m (£44m) bid.

Malcom only joined Barcelona from Bordeaux in the summer, for €40m (£35m). Things aren’t going as planned for the winger so far though. He’s only made two substitute appearances in his first three months, adding up to a total of 25 minutes on the pitch.

Spanish outlet Sport write that Ernesto Valverde’s tactical changes don’t suit the Brazilian. As a result, other clubs are starting to circle to take the 21-year-old off Barcelona’s hands. Arsenal and Inter Milan have made their interest known to the Catalan club, hoping to take Malcom on loan.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are willing to offer €50m for a permanent move, giving Barcelona a quick €10m profit on their summer investment.

https://twitter.com/sport/status/1053291233865543682

This isn’t the first time Arsenal and Tottenham have competed for Malcom’s signature. In January, the media heavily linked both clubs to the Brazilian, so it’s really not a surprise to see that interest return to the headlines in the current circumstances.

 

However, Sport add that the player’s priority is to stay at Barcelona, whilst the club don’t want to sell. That might put Arsenal and Inter Milan back in the driving seat, as a loan would seemingly suit all parties.

It really comes down to what happens between now and January. If Malcom continues to sit out of the action and Arsenal continue to look like they need to add a winger to the squad, a January move makes sense.

If either of those conditions changes, the loan suddenly looks a lot less likely to happen. We’ll see what happens.