Donyell Malen to Aston Villa transfer latest as Unai Emery told Dortmund 'solution'

Aston Villa are pushing to find an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign Donyell Malen.

The Dutch international is Unai Emery's priority target to add more pace and versatility to his forward options. Villa have been locked in talks with Dortmund in recent days to agree on a fee for the 25-year-old.

Reports in Germany claim Dortmund are after £25m for their Dutch international, which is a fair amount more than Villa's £15m plus add-ons offer last week. Malen is due to enter the final year of his contract in the summer and Dortmund are happy to cash in this month despite him being their top scorer last term.

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Sky Sports in Germany have today added a bit more information, with reporter Patrick Berger saying: "He [Malen] definitely wants the move to the Premier League heading to Aston Villa, but the clubs are still negotiating.

“Dortmund demands a fee of around €30m (£25m) but I guess that when Villa bid somewhere around €25m (£20.9m) they’re going to find a solution.”

Malen is prepared to leave the Signal Iduna Park in January and is said to be excited by the opportunity of making an impact in the Premier League. The forward has already reportedly agreed terms with Villa ahead of a possible switch.

Dortmund sporting director Sebastien Kehl recently spoke out about Malen's future and insisted that he remained of high monetary value to the club.

"Donny is an important player for us and has been our top scorer in the last two seasons," Kehl told DPA. "I'm not surprised that his qualities are attracting interest on the market. Nevertheless, he is of great value to us."

Malen joined Dortmund in the summer of 2021 and has scored a total of 39 goals in 131 appearances in all competitions. He is capable of playing across the front line but has mostly operated on the right wing for Dortmund.

Villa are in need of another attacking option considering Leon Bailey has struggled for form this season due to injury niggles. Jaden Philogene was re-signed from Hull City in the summer following the £50.5m departure of Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad, but the 22-year-old hasn't managed to adapt to what Emery wants of him so far.

Philogene has interest from clubs willing to take him on loan, while Everton are exploring the possibility of signing him permanently. This season, Villa's main target Malen has only started six of Dortmund’s 15 Bundesliga matches, scoring five times in all competitions.

He joined Dortmund from PSV, where he bagged 55 goals in 116 appearances. Malen also has plenty of experience playing in European football, making 31 appearances in the Champions League and 14 in the Europa League. The forward featured in eight matches in Dortmund’s run to the 2024 Champions League final, where he came on in the second half of the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid.

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