Barcelona completes Malcom swoop despite Roma agreement

Barcelona confirmed the audacious signing of Malcom from Bordeaux on Tuesday, just a day after Roma announced it was purchasing the Brazilian winger pending a medical.

The Spanish behemoth will pay an initial €41 million for Malcom, plus an additional €1 million "in variables."

(Photo courtesy: fcbarcelona.com)

Malcom was reportedly in advanced talks with Everton earlier in July, but it appeared Roma had beaten the Merseysiders and other rivals to his signature when the Italian club and Bordeaux found middle ground on a fee. It was believed that Roma was prepared to splurge €32 million before add-ons on the 21-year-old.

However, Barcelona's higher bid encouraged Bordeaux to change its mind, and Malcom's flight to the Italian capital was cancelled as Roma supporters started to congregate at Fiumicino Airport to greet him.

Barcelona appears to be building for the future, with Arthur, also 21, and 23-year-old defender Clement Lenglet already signed this summer. Malcom was his club's top scorer with eight goals in the 2017-18 Ligue 1 campaign, and also provided an unmatched seven assists. He is a menace off the right flank, potentially offering balance to Ousmane Dembele's pace and trickery on the left-hand side.

Before linking up with Bordeaux at 18, Malcom had already collected a league title with Sao Paulo outfit Corinthians.

La Liga released its fixture list for the 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday, and Barcelona is currently slated to open its season with a visit from CD Alaves on August 19.