Aston Villa are reportedly in talks to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malen this month.
First Offer For Malen Falls Short Of Dortmund’s Valuation
Unai Emery is determined to strengthen his side with a versatile attacker during the January transfer window.
Borussia Dortmund attacker Malen fits the bill for Aston Villa, as he can play across the front line – predominantly on the right-wing.
He would provide extra pace and depth to Emery’s side and Villa have already made an offer for the 25-year-old.
As per the Mail, Villa made a £15m plus bonuses offer for Malen. However, it fell short of Dortmund’s valuation of the player.
The Bundesliga giants are hoping to get a £25m fee for Malen from Aston Villa.
Malen has made 10 starts in his 20 appearances for Dortmund this season. He has netted five goals in all competitions with one assist.
He also made four appearances for the Netherlands as they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024 last summer.
In total he has scored 39 goals in 131 appearances since joining Dortmund from PSV in 2021.
Why Aston Villa Are Looking For An Attacker
Aston Villa’s pursuit of Donyell Malen would provide attacking depth in wide areas as he predominantly plays on the right-wing.
The West Midlands side lost right-winger Moussa Diaby to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad during the summer transfer window.
Diaby scored ten goals and provided nine assists in all competitions last season and has been a miss for Unai Emery’s side.
Emery would hope that the signing of Malen would help support strikers Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins in the scoring department for the second-half of the season.
Villa have had a mixed season as they sit ninth in the Premier League – six points off the top four.
However, they are fifth in the Champions League and look like they could get an automatic spot into the last-16 by finishing in the top-eight.