?Barcelona appear to have stolen in on a deal for Bordeaux forward Malcom at the eleventh hour on Monday night, in an incredible turn of events which also involves Italian giants AS Roma.

Roma had confirmed on Monday evening that they had reached an agreement to sign the 21-year-old, while Bordeaux had done the same thing minutes before. The player was all set to fly to Rome with just personal terms and a medical left to iron out.


The club tweeted: “AS Roma can confirm that the club has reached an agreement with FC Girondins de Bordeaux for the transfer of Malcom, subject to the player completing a medical and agreeing personal terms.”

Gianluca Di Marzio had also reported that Roma would part with the sum of €36m to get the deal over the line, with various bonuses to be included as part of a package.


However, at around 10pm GMT on Monday night, further reports broke that Barcelona had made a bid of their own. It’s not yet known what the details of the deal are, but it’s reported by multiple sources to be a “much better” offer than the one Roma put forward.

As a result, Bordeaux cancelled the player’s flight to Italy – where supporters were already waiting to welcome him – and they are now believed to be in talks with the Catalan giants over a move. What this means for their pursuit of Willian is anyone’s guess, but logic would have it that they may have pulled out of the race to land the Bordeaux star instead.

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That may leave Manchester United to have a clear run at the Chelsea winger in the remaining weeks of the transfer window. The Blues have rejected a host of bids from the Spanish champions for the player, but United boss Jose Mourinho is known to be a big fan of the 29-year-old.

Malcom, meanwhile, began his career in his native Brazil with Corinthians, and joined Bordeaux two years ago. He was outstanding in Ligue 1 last season, scoring 12 times and assisting seven goals in 35 appearances for his side during the campaign.

The player was also understood to be a target for Premier League sides Arsenal, their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton.