Barcelona reportedly approved of Malcom’s absence from training on Thursday as he moves closer to joining Zenit in a €40m+ deal this summer.
The 22-year-old joined the Catalan giants from Bordeaux last summer, but it didn’t go to plan for him in his first year at the Nou Camp.
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He was limited to just four goals and two assists in 24 appearances, with fitness woes and competition for places restricting his impact, while he was also often left out of the matchday squad entirely by coach Ernesto Valverde.
It seems as though he may not get a second season to prove his quality either, as Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona gave him permission to skip training on Thursday with a view of moving his switch to Zenit closer in a possible €40m+ deal.
Particularly with the addition of Antoine Griezmann this summer too, it’s difficult to see how Malcom will get an opportunity to play as Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele are already ahead of him in the pecking order.
Time will tell if he gets his move to Zenit, but it may well be the best solution for all concerned as Barcelona could use that fee to bring in reinforcements while the Brazilian forward could have a better chance of playing regularly and rediscovering the form that earned him the switch to the reigning La Liga champions in the first place.
