Malcom during the match between FC Barcelona and Cultural Leonesa, corresponding to the 1/16 final of the spanish King Cuo, played at the Camp Nou Stadium on 05th December 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto -- (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The young Brazilian is attracting plenty of interest due to his lack of opportunities at Barcelona.

Malcom joined Barcelona in the summer from under the noses of Roma who had reportedly agreed a deal with Bordeaux for his transfer. He was brought in to provide competition for Ousmane Dembele as a wide option in the front three, but his move hasn’t gone as envisaged due to the French winger’s form while he has also had to compete with Philippe Coutinho for a place.

According to Marca, Everton have maintained interest in the Brazilian after considering a move in the summer, although Malcom doesn’t want a January move as he wants to fight for his place. Guangzhou Evergrande are also rumoured to be after him with a reported £45 million bid. A lack of change in his situation could see him leave the club in the summer, which is understandable considering his talent and age, however, it seems unlikely that he would go to China.

Across all competitions, he has played a total of 291 minutes with two goals. The upcoming Copa del Rey fixtures are likely to boost this significantly, but Ernesto Valverde also needs to consider using him in the league more often and generally rotate key players out in order to keep them fresh.

His impressive cameo against Internazionale at the San Siro showed how he can be a game-changer from the bench and the forward trio of him, Dembele and Lionel Messi looked promising, especially as a counter-attacking force. Valverde seems unwilling to try this set-up currently, though, due to the other options at his disposal.

The club paid €41 million for him so they can’t afford to let him leave in the summer as they will lose money on him and they would also be letting a talented prospect leave in a position they don’t have plenty of depth in. He’s unlikely to usurp Dembele but he is an excellent backup option. The second half of the season should see him given plenty of opportunities as the key players are rested for major clashes such as the Champions League knockout matches, which will give him chance to prove his worth to the team.