Everton want to raid Barcelona once again in the summer as they have put Brazilian winger Malcom on their radar.
Malcom joined Barcelona from Bordeaux for €41 million, after a last-ditch offer by the Spanish team sealed the move to Barcelona. The Brazilian was almost set to join Italian club Roma before Barcelona’s offer.
The 22-year-old signed has barely featured for Barcelona, though, as manager Ernesto Valverde placed him on the bench for the majority of the season.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees are monitoring Malcom’s situation at the Blaugrana as he is set for show-down talks with the club.
Malcom – Fact file
In his first season at Nou Camp, the Brazilian made just 6 starts in La Liga and a total of 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring 4 times and 2 assists.
However, the talented winger has found it tough at Barcelona as he has not had too many chances and hasn’t grabbed the opportunities that he got.
Malcom signed a five-year contract with Barcelona which will expire in 2023. Barcelona have a host of talented young players, with the likes of Malcom and Ousmane Dembélé fighting for a few positions in the team, and have the difficult task of usurping one of the best players of all-time, Lionel Messi.
Is Malcom a good option for Silva?
Malcom has shown glimpses of his talent at Barcelona but hasn’t received enough playing time to showcase what he is really capable of.
A winger who likes to dribble, cross and shoot from distance, the Brazilian takes on defenders and causes confusion with his dribbling. He is a good crosser of the ball and likes to drift inside to central areas of the pitch to have an impact in the attack.
Everton had a mixed season under Marco Silva, having finished in the top half of the table, but could not challenge Wolves for the final European spot.
On Everton’s right side, Silva used Theo Walcott and Richarlison, while Ademola Lookman had a few chances as well. Richarlison impressed from the left as well as a striker, while Walcott wasn’t consistent over the course of the season.
It’s quite evident that Everton need a few more options on the right side, while Walcott is also on the wrong side of 30 and Silva needs to find a long-term replacement for him.
Malcom could get a new lease of life at Everton, if the English club can convince him to sign for them.
