Malcom Demands Barcelona Let Him Choose His Next Club Amid Arsenal Interest

Barcelona forward Malcom will not leave the club this summer unless he gets to choose his next destination, with the two parties now seemingly at an impasse.

Malcom joined La Blaugrana last summer in a €41m deal after the Catalan club hijacked his move to Serie A side Roma, but was sparsely used by Ernesto Valverde last season, making just 15 appearances in La Liga and nine further appearances across the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

Barca have made no secret of their desire to cut ties with the Brazilian, especially if Neymar is to rejoin the club, with Malcom currently taking up a valuable spot in the allotted space for South American players. 

However, according to Sport, negotiations between the two parties have hit a snag, with the player's agent failing to turn up for a scheduled meeting last week. Despite his low turnout last season, it is understood that a number of sides from both Italy and England are willing to cough up the required fee of around €40m.

The issue that has arisen, though, is the fact that as it stands, Malcom is none too interested in any of the clubs that have registered their willingness to pay that sum, preferring a loan move in 2019/20 with an option to buy at the end of the season. 

One of the options for that loan would be Arsenal, with Unai Emery's side interested in bringing the forward to north London but unable to pay the outright fee this summer.

However, Barcelona need to balance their books sooner rather than later, particularly if they are to complete the audacious re-signing of ​Neymar - hence the impasse. There is potentially light at the end of the tunnel, though, with another meeting now set up for this week, in the hopes that a compromise can be reached.