Journalist Reveals City Have Joined Arsenal And Newcastle In Pursuing 26 Goal Brazilian Star After “Sensational Season”

Journalist Reveals City Have Joined Arsenal And Newcastle In Pursuing 26 Goal Brazilian Star After “Sensational Season”

Manchester City are keeping tabs on Zenit St Petersburg winger Malcom, according to 90min.com reporter Graeme Bailey.

The journalist, who isn’t the most reliable of sources, claims the Premier League champions are monitoring the Brazilian, along with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Newcastle:

“He’s had a sensational season for Zenit [St. Petersburg], Zenit who romped to the Russian league title. He had 30 goal contributions in total and he’s got some very big clubs who have been very impressed with his progress PSG, but also Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle, we’re being told have also taken note.”


“It’s a difficult situation, teams are going to have to buy him, he is co-owned by some Brazilian businessman as well. Keep an eye on this one, Malcom is very much a wanted man. I think he’ll be heading back to mainstream European football. Might not be easy to get him out but I think Zenit will sell and FIFA and UEFA will have to rule on it.”

Malcom has scored 26 times for Zenit this season, as well as contributing nine assists but, as Bailey points out, the main issue will be how his transfer out of Russia will be handled.

Premier League teams can’t hand over money to teams in the country so, if the player wants to move teams, he would need to be released from his contract at Zenit.

FIFA have recently extended a rule that allows players to unilaterally suspend their contracts if they are playing in Russia and Ukraine, so that is something that Malcom would have to do if he wants to return to European football.

City could sign a winger this summer

While the Citizens’ focus for the next transfer window will be on signing a centre-back/left-back and one or two central midfielders, the club may also be open to recruiting a winger.

The likes of Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry, Leeds’ Wilfried Gnonto and Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have all been mentioned as possible targets in recent months, so Malcom may just be another name on the list.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.