Malcom and Adrien Rabiot Targeted by Premier League Giants as Nightmare Season Draws to a Close

26 March 2019 15:43

Several of England's biggest clubs are set to battle it out in the summer to secure the signatures of highly-rated youngsters Malcom and Adrien Rabiot, as both players find themselves out of the pecking order at Barcelona and PSG respectively. 

Malcom was heavily recruited by a handful of Premier League sides in the summer of 2018 but ultimately decided to make the £46m switch from Bordeaux to Barcelona. The young Brazilian has yet to establish himself as a regular under Ernesto Valverde and has only made 15 appearances for the Blaugrana this campaign. 

Journalist Duncan Castles revealed on The Transfer Window podcast that a Premier League move may be in the cards for Malcom. As quoted by the Daily Star, Castles claimed: “[As well as Coutinho] they’ve also got Malcom on the market this summer and, again, I would see him as being a player that would appeal greatly to a number of the Premier League clubs.


“Manchester United obviously looked at him before he moved to Barcelona, Arsenal have been very keen on him, I believe Tottenham Hotspur have an interest in him too, although not sure he fits into the recruitment policy Tottenham have going into next season."

Castles claims that even though Malcom did not get a lot of playing time at ​Barcelona, his purchase was part of a larger strategy to buy promising players and sell them on quickly for a profit. 

He added: “It’s a different kind of stockpiling of players, but they’re doing that Manchester City, Chelsea thing of buying players with the view of having them as part of their club for a season or a couple of seasons can increase their value and allow them to make profits from the transfer market that will subsidise the purchase of their superstar names they need to keep themselves at the top of the Spanish league and in the Champions League.”

FBL-ESP-CUP-BARCELONA-REAL MADRID

Rabiot's transfer in the summer seem to be much more straightforward, as the Frenchman will be out of contract at the end of the season. The 23-year-old has not featured for PSG since the beginning of December, and football consultant Ian McGarry has said: “We know that Adrien Rabiot will definitely leave on a free, freedom of contract in the summer. 


"So I think you’ll see that there will be interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham in some players at PSG. I guess one of the things that they have to consider of course is the high wages that PSG pay, so they’re coming in already at a high level.

“Rabiot, in particular, is only 23 but will be able to command an excess of £12-15m a season because there is no transfer fee involved, so that will be one of the sticking points for any player being recruited from Paris."

Red Star Belgrade v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Group C

Malcom will try and impress potential suitors until the end of the season as Barcelona continue their fight for a 26th La Liga title, taking on Espanyol at the Camp Nou on Saturday night. Rabiot will once again be forced to watch from the stands, as PSG look to extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1 when they travel to Stadium TFC to take on Toulouse on Sunday night.

Source: 90min