AS Roma And Inter Milan Are Tracking Malcom – Why He Could Be The Bargain Of The Summer

When talking about some of the top under-23 attacking players in Europe, pundits and fans alike tend to mention the same names over and over again. We have heard about Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho, Kingsley Coman, Anthony Martial, and so many others. However, there is one name that was one of the hottest commodities in the transfer market roughly 12 months ago, and now appears to have become an afterthought. We are talking about Girondins’ star forward Malcom.

The 21-year-old Brazilian winger – who can play all over the attacking third but is far more effective on the wing – was linked with a move to Arsenal during the January transfer window, as The Gunners saw him as the ideal long-term replacement for Alexis Sanchez when the Chile international left to join Manchester United. He also appeared as a potential signing for The Red Devils, Chelsea and Liverpool. Even Bayern Munich were keeping an eye on him. All things considered, he looked as if he was set to move to a bigger side sooner than later.

Fast-forward six months and things have changed considerably. Malcom rarely appears in any rumour mill, and it is not like big teams have forgotten about him; however, it seems as if no one wants to sign him anymore. But that is not true. Earlier this week, both AS Roma and Inter Milan expressed interest in signing him, and Bordeaux are keen to reach an agreement. They know the Brazilian wants to leave, and there is no point in keeping him in the squad if he does not want to be there.

Sure, the 21-year-old is extremely talented and has as much potential as any young player in the world. But is he worth the risk, and the massive transfer fee that Bordeaux will likely command to let him go?

In one word? Yes. Yes, he is. In fact, it is quite puzzling to see European top sides not going any harder at Malcom. Despite being quite young, he has enough talent to play for any team in any league in the world. Perhaps he won’t become a game-changer for a team such as Bayern, Real Madrid or Manchester City right away. But give him playing time, and he will produce. Send him to a smaller side, and he will keep growing until reaching his peak. And have we mentioned that his potential is off the charts?

The numbers don’t lie, but at the same time, they don’t tell the whole story regarding the Brazilian. If we take a look at his stats since joining Bordeaux from Corinthians back in January 2016, he has scored 20 goals with 13 assists in 84 matches. That is a decent return considering he joined the side when he was 19 years old. He has all the time in the world to keep progressing, since he is years away from getting close to reach his peak.

We do not know if he will join Inter or Roma. Perhaps a Premier League side gets in the mix. Maybe Bayern Munich want to give Bordeaux another goal. Even PSG could try and acquire as a long-term project in a team that already has Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. But one thing we DO know is this: he has all the talent in the world to become a world-class player, and Bordeaux are looking to sell him before he becomes a problem in the dressing room.

If that’s not enough to entice European sides to make a move, nothing will. And he is talented enough to become a bargain in only a few more years, even if the team that wants him has to spend a big chunk of their budget to sign him.