Aston Villa have agreed on a deal with Borussia Dortmund for the signing of Donyell Malen this month, as Unai Emery considered the Dutchman his top winger target.
According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa have found a breakthrough in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund and agreed a deal for Donyell Malen. The Premier League side are expected to pay a fee of around £18 million, as the 25-year-old’s versatility made him Unai Emrry’s top winter target.
Aston Villa had wanted a new winger right from the summer to replace the departed Moussa Diaby. While they did manage to sign the likes of Jaden Philogene, Unai Emery did not like the former club prospect, as he has since agreed to join Ipswich on a permanent basis.
Emery had set sights on Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen as his top attacking target for this month. The Dutchman with 41 international caps has the pedigree to play for a club like Villa, and his versatility is what made him the Basque manager’s top target.
Malen can play in all three positions of the front three, and Villa severaly lacked a player of his versatility. The Bundesliga forward has been good enough for Dortmund and had agreed personal terms with Villa a while ago as he waited for the two clubs to reach an agreement over the fee.
Donyell had other clubs chasing his signature, but Aston Villa was confident of winning the race for the winger. The Premier League side have agreed a fee close to £18 million with Borussia Dortmund for Malen, as he’s expected to arrive for his medicals soon.
Aston Villa’s January plans
Aston Villa are eager to strenghthen one or two key positions in their squad, as signing the likes of Malen would solve a big attacking problem. The departure of Phiologene and the expected arrival of Malen do not improve the attacking depth but certainly, give Emery a better option to work with.
Villa are also chasing a right back with talks with Celta Vigo ongoing for Oscar Mingueza, as Emery also has other targets in mind for the position. In any case, it appears these are the players likely to arrive this month, although there could be more should the club make some unexpected sales in this window.
