Tottenham Hotspur have pulled out of a potential deal to sign Bordeaux winger Malcom as Daniel Levy has refused to pay the attacker’s £40 million asking price, according to The Independent.
The in-form South American star has lit up French football this season and is being linked with a move to the Premier League, with Spurs one of those clubs reportedly keeping tabs on him.
Tottenham have one less option in the final third for the remainder of the campaign after allowing Georges-Kevin Nkoudou to join Burnley on loan and as such realistically only have four players contesting two or three positions.
Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min are Mauricio Pochettino’s options in attacking midfield and with plenty of games to play over the next five months, there is certainly an argument to suggest Spurs should sign an extra attacker in January.
The Independent claim that Tottenham offered £31 million for Malcom, but it would have taken £40 million to convince Bordeaux to sell him.
There is little doubting that the Brazilian is set for a bright future in the game, with his skill, pace and ability to score from midfield catching the eye of visiting scouts.
However, despite the fact that Tottenham fans would surely have been excited by Malcom’s potential signing, there is an argument to suggest that Levy is right to stick to his guns on this occasion.
While Spurs supporters have been frustrated by their chairman’s frugal ways at times over the years, to spend £40 million – a new club transfer record – on a relatively unproven 20-year-old would have been a considerable gamble.
Malcom is a player with real potential, but transferring his scintillating form in French football to the Premier League would not be straightforward.
Tottenham have dipped into the Ligue 1 market relatively frequently in recent years and signed players that have excelled in France.
However, Benjamin Stambouli, Etienne Capoue, Clinton N’jie and Nkoudou have all failed to make an impact at Spurs.
While I would love Tottenham to shell out £31 or £40 million on a new attacker, it may well be that waiting to the summer to land someone else more proven and rounded than Malcom is the right decision.
Although transfer fees continue to increase, spending £40 million can still ensure Spurs sign a blistering new attacker that will push the likes of Eriksen and Alli in first-team selection – someone with plenty of Champions League experience and in international football.
As such, although I would have loved to have seen Malcom join Tottenham in January, if Levy spends the money on a more-experienced option in the summer it will be the right decision.