Tottenham boss makes decision after Levy sanctions deal to sign £50m Arsenal target

Transfer deadline day is here and managers are working hard to strengthen their squad with last minute deals and identifying targets for the summer so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest rumours. Today, the latest on Malcom….

Mauricio Pochettino has turned down the opportunity to sign Malcom despite Tottenham chiefs sanctioning a late move for the Barcelona attacker, according to The Sun.

Malcom made his name during an impressive spell at Bordeaux and turned down a host of Premier League clubs in order to join Barcelona last summer but his time at the Nou Camp hasn’t gone to plan.

The Brazilian attacker has struggled to establish himself under Ernesto Valverde having made just 1 La Liga start so far this season and it’s led to speculation he’ll be on the move this winter in search of regular football.

The situation alerted Arsenal as The Sun reported last weekend that the Gunners had enquired about taking Malcom on loan with the option to sign him for £50m at the end of the season as Unai Emery looks to bolster his attacking options.

A proposed deal has been put on hold with Arsenal also eyeing Ivan Perisic and Yannick Carrasco and The Sun says Barcelona offered Tottenham the chance to sign Malcom on an initial loan deal this month.

The newspaper says Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was willing to sanction the deal but boss Mauricio Pochettino has turned down the opportunity to sign the South American attacker.

Pochettino has seen his squad hit by injuries to Dele Alli and Harry Kane so Malcom could have given Tottenham another top class option in attack if he’d made a move to north London but the Spurs boss doesn’t see him as an improvement on the players currently available.

READ –> Arsenal transfer news | Spurs transfer news

As it stands, Malcom is set to stay at Barcelona until at least the end of the season unless Arsenal resurrect their interest in the Brazilian forward during the closing hours of the window.