KEY POINTS

  • The Brazilian winger will get to decide the club he wants to join.
  • Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United showed interest in January.

Bordeaux sensation Malcom has confirmed that he will leave the Ligue 1 outfit and join a club of his choosing following the conclusion of the current campaign.

The Brazil Under-23 international has impressed since joining the French club from Brazilian side Corinthians at the start of the 2016/17 campaign. He scored nine goals and assisted seven during his debut campaign, while he has already amassed eight strikes and assisted seven in 24 games in the current season.

Malcom's performances have attracted interest from a number of top clubs across the continent with Premier League sides leading the chase. Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were all linked with moves during this year's January transfer window, but Bordeaux's reluctance to sell along with their high valuation saw him remain at the Matmut Atlantique.

The Gunners were initially touted as the favourites to land the winger as a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez, who joined the Red Devils, but Arsenal instead brought in Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of a swap deal for the Chilean and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.

Mauricio Pochettino was also said to be an admirer, but Bordeaux's €50m (£44.3m, $62.7m) valuation saw them turn to other targets. Spurs signed Lucas Moura in a reported £25m deal from Paris Saint-Germain instead.

Malcom has revealed that he was keen to leave the Ligue 1 club in January but decided to stay as a sign of loyalty to the club that gave him the platform to impress in Europe. However, he confirmed that he has now reached an agreement with the French side, allowing him to move on in the summer to a club of his choosing. However, Bordeaux's true valuation of the player still remains unclear.

"Yes, there was a promise that I will be negotiating in June," Malcom told Brazilian outlet UOL, as quoted by Sky Sports. "I will choose the team, and Bordeaux will let me go.

"I already said that I would have liked to leave this winter to meet new challenges. But I must also remember that Bordeaux helped me a lot.

"I gave my word to Bordeaux that I will continue [with the club] to be able to have more time to choose my future club," he explained. "These next three or four months will make a big difference."

Malcom
Arsenal and Tottenham target Malcom is set to leave Ligue 1 club Bordeaux in the summer Getty