Arsenal have now turned their attention to Barcelona’s under-utilised winger Malcolm.
The 21-year-old Brazilian had been linked to their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur but now may be on the move to the red side of north London.
Arsenal have been engaged in ongoing negotiations with the Catalan club over taking Spanish midfielder Denis Suárez before shifting to the young winger.
The Sun report that the possibility to loaning the Malcom arose during the frustrating back-and-forth over sending Suárez to the Emirates on loan.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has preferred to use other players in the Brazilian’s role after Malcom joined from Bordeaux for an initial fee of around €41 million in July 2018.
As a result, Arsenal are hoping a deal can be struck to move the winger before the looming transfer deadline day.
While Barcelona’s higher-ups may be rather reluctant to sell a young player who has not really had a shot, Arsenal manager Unai Emery has stated that his club are likely only to bring in players on loan in this window.
Emery wants to strengthen his squad and push on towards qualification for Champions League but other clubs like AC Milan are also interested in signing Malcom.
The 21-year-old has only started one LaLiga game this season, playing 188 minutes across six league appearances. Malcom also scored a goal in four matches in Copa del Rey and scored against Inter Milan in one of his two cameo appearances off the bench in Champions League.