Aston Villa agree deal to offload attacker with his replacement already decided
AS Roma have reached an agreement in principle to sign Aston Villa forward Donyell Malen on loan, with a conditional obligation to buy for around £25 million, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The structure of the deal has been approved by all parties, with only final formalities remaining.
The 26-year-old Netherlands international has made it clear that he wants the move, driven by a desire for consistent minutes and a guaranteed role as a central striker.
At Villa, opportunities have been limited for Malen with manager Unai Emery favouring Ollie Watkins.
Donyell Malen struggled for playing time at Aston Villa
This season, he has struggled to cement a permanent starting role under Emery.
A switch to Roma offers an opportunity for a reset and with the World Cup coming this year, Malen is ready to play more football in order to cement his place in the Netherlands squad.
Jacobs also reports that Atlético Madrid registered interest, enquiring about Malen’s situation in recent days.
While the Spanish side admire his versatility and explosiveness, Roma acted decisively and secured priority in negotiations.
Atlético are expected to keep searching for attacking reinforcements as they prepare to reshape their squad ahead of the summer window.
Emery wants to add another striker to the squad
Meanwhile, Aston Villa remain active in the striker market. Tammy Abraham is on their radar with Villa extensively searching for a new attacker.
Emery needs depth in his squad for the second half of the season as their over reliance on Watkins could prove to be costly.
As far as Malen’s future in concerned, the attacker is expected to travel to Italy today and could even feature in Roma’s match on Sunday against Torino.
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