Official: Malcom joins Barcelona

Barcelona have pipped AS Roma to the signing of Malcom, who joins the club from Girondins de Bordeaux for five seasons, according to the club. The fee for the 21-year-old will be €41 million with €1 million in variables and he will fly to Barcelona on Tuesday where he will be photographed for the first time in the blaugrana shirt at 19:30 CEST.

Roma thought they had landed the player for €36 million and he was expected to fly to Italy where he would seal the deal but Barcelona outbid them and the player's career path was changed in an instant. Fans of the Italian club had gathered at Ciampino Airport to meet their new signing and his own mother had even landed in Rome to wait for her son, who never arrived. 

He becomes Barcelona's second summer signing after the arrival of Clement Lenglet and Arthur Melo. He will undergo his medical on Wednesday and join Ernesto Valverde's US tour squad. The Barcelona manager wants a small squad for the upcoming season and this signing puts even more pressure on the board to sell some of the players deemed surplus at the Camp Nou. It also leave some questions unanswered as to where Ousmane Dembele fits into Valverde's plans and whether Barcelona's pursuit of Willian will now end.

Enjoy Malcom is the message from Barcelona

In Barça's official announcement they give a detailed report of their new signings strengths: "Malcom is a daring, pacey forward with an ability to shoot from distance. Despite being left footed, he is no slouch with his right also and can play on either flank. He has mainly operated on the right hand side so far in his career to great success, attacking defenders and getting into the box at every opportunity. Aside from his speed, he also has great technical ability and links up well with his team mates, one of the main aspects of Barça’s football."