All the talk this January has been about the Alexis Sanchez tug-of-war between Manchester United and Manchester City.
But down in London, another battle between derby rivals has been taking place and, according to reports, Spurs have beaten Arsenal to the signing of one of their top targets.
Tottenham are close to sign Malcom from Bordeaux. His agents met Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy this week in London and were absolutely delighted with what they heard. It is likely to be a £40m + £10m deal.
— Caio Carrieri (@caiocarrieri) January 19, 2018
Bordeaux winger Malcolm is believed to be close to signing for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, after a week of successful negotiations in North London.
Arsenal were initially thought to be favourites to get the 20-year-old and were keen to bring him on board as soon as possible, with Alexis Sanchez’s departure from the Emirates all but confirmed, however the Gunners’ neighbours have seemingly won out.
Malcolm’s seven goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances in this campaign already matches the tally he registered in the whole of last season and several Premier League clubs were on high alert, with Manchester United also believed to be in the discussion.
But it quickly looked to be a two-horse race when Leonardo Cornacini of Elenko Sports, the agency which represents the youngster, posted a photograph to Instagram of Malcolm’s representatives in London on business.
If the deal goes ahead as expected, it’s understood to be worth in the region of £40 million, with £10 million in add-ons.
It’s really not been a great few weeks for Arsenal supporters…
