Everton could reach an agreement over the signing of Bordeaux winger Malcom by the end of the week after a breakthrough in negotiations today (Wednesday), according to L’Equipe.
The French sports newspaper claim the Merseysiders are in advanced talks with the Ligue 1 club over the capture of the Brazilian, who is valued at £35.6million.
L’Equipe report Everton have not yet tabled a formal bid for Malcom but discussions have accelerated enough in recent hours for the two clubs to reach a quick conclusion by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
Good move for Everton?
Yes. The Merseysiders have plenty of pacy wide men but none have delivered the goods in the way the club would have hoped. The jury is out on Theo Walcott, Yannick Bolaise was wretched after recovering from a year out with a serious knee injury and rookie Ademola Lookman appears keen to up sticks for the Bundesliga. Malcom has been targeted for a wide right role in the attacking 4-3-3 formation Marco Silva intends to field at Goodison Park next season. Anyone who has watched him play for Bordeaux in the last year can see he is a serious talent with the cut and thrust to dismantle Premier League defences and score plenty of goals as well as create assists.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
This is not quite a done deal, but it’s getting there. No written outlet in world football is more reliable than L’Equipe, the longstanding and established sports paper with a history of super-reliable information about French transfers. The next 72 hours could be crucial, but this deal is getting closer all the time.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10