Zenit St Petersburg will announce the signing of Barcelona winger Malcom, after the two clubs agreed an estimated €40 million (£36. 5 million/$44. 5 million), plus €5 million (£4. 6 million/$5. 6 million). (m) in add-ons.
The La Liga champions battled the tough Rome festival to sign the former Bordeaux star for €41 million more than a year ago.
But after playing just 24 games across all competitions in Ernesto Valverde’s last season, the Brazilian is already on the verge of leaving the Camp Nou.
Malcom will earn around 6. 5 million euros according to the season in Russia, while it is also understood that Barcelona will have a purchase option in the deal, which is expected to be made official on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old has a €180 million buyout clause in his contract, but Barcelona have made it clear they would be happy to sell the winger if he presents more than the €41 million spent on him last summer.
The winger has fallen further down the pecking order at Camp Nou, with Barcelona adding Antoine Griezmann to what is already a heavily stacked attacking organisation earlier this summer.
In addition to Griezmann, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho are vying for all the starting spots, while PSG star Neymar remains linked with a return to his former club.
Borussia Dortmund were also connected with a move from Malcom, but it was Zenit who won the race to secure his services.
Meanwhile, Rafinha Alcantara continues to attract interest from across Europe and may also leave Barcelona in the near future.
Serie A side Fiorentina are in a position to continue negotiations for the midfielder, who is about to complete the final year of his contract with the Catalan giants.
It is believed that a sum of around 15 million euros (£14 million/€17 million) may be enough to keep him away from Barcelona, and Valencia also maintains strong interest.
Coach Marcelino Garcia Toral sees Rafinha as the ideal guy to back up Dani Parejo in Valencia’s midfield. Milan and Atalanta have also asked about the availability of the Brazilian, but have not yet formalized their interest with an offer.