Aston Villa name their price as shock January transfer gathers pace: report

Aston Villa are open to an outbound January transfer for Netherlands international forward Donyell Malen, according to reports.

Malen has featured frequently for Villa this season and serves as their back-up striker behind Ollie Watkins, but it’s been clear for some time that Unai Emery doesn’t have a truly suitable role for him.

The tactical system Villa tend to play doesn’t get the best out of Malen. He’s serviceable as a solo centre-forward but doesn’t have the all-round game that makes Watkins so effective at Villa’s level. The demands on the player on the right of Villa’s forward line aren’t a great fit for him either.

Why Malen’s Villa future is in doubt

Villa need to take advantage of some positive selling opportunities over the next few transfer windows and Malen is one that could fall into that category.

The player needs to play football and it’s difficult to see how that’s going to come about without a move. It would be an unfortunate outcome for Villa, who have a player who can be effective but just might not work out for reasons beyond his control.

News has emerged of interest from Serie A club Roma, where Leon Bailey is on loan from Villa but no longer wanted. According to reporting by Gazzetta dello Sport, Villa have set their asking price for Malen and a transfer is a possibility.

In its transfer round-up, Gazzetta reports that: “[Negotiations are already well advanced] for the Dutchman with Aston Villa, who can play as a central striker or a winger. [Roma sporting director Frederic] Massara could send Bailey back to Birmingham and bring Malen back. [Malen] has asked to be sold… given that he’s been playing less than expected.

“The English club bought him from Borussia Dortmund last January for €25 million, but today they’d be happy with €17-18 million. Gasperini has already been informed of the opportunity and appears to have given a positive opinion on the player. Now it’s a matter of closing the deal as quickly as possible.”

Villa looking for a better tactical fit?

It’s unfortunate but true that Malen is in what we could term the Villa Selling Zone. As capable as he is, as much as I like him as a player, he’s averaging half an hour per appearance in the Premier League this season and he’s honestly just too good for that.

Circumstances are working against him at Villa and, at 27, Malen deserves to be a regular starter somewhere. His attitude after being left out of the Champions League squad as soon as he walked in the door is deserving of some leeway in that regard.

It isn’t going to be at Villa and that, I think, is evident in some of Villa’s work in the January transfer window. If there’s a chance Malen leaves on loan or permanently this month, it seems Emery would favour a more straightforward number nine in his place.

A move for Tammy Abraham is being widely reported, while the signing of teenage winger Alysson offers an option on the right, in one of the theoretical positions Malen would be vacating.

Villa really should have been pushing hard to deal with all this in the summer transfer window. Malen and Abraham have both improved their stock this season but, more broadly, the fact that Villa didn’t have back-up or competition for Watkins was clear.

It doesn’t seem to have held them back up to this point, but the puzzle remains. Watkins will dip in and out of form. Maybe he’ll pick up an injury. He’ll definitely get older.

If Malen isn’t the understudy and Villa have a pragmatic way to address that while staying financially compliant, it might be time to prepare ourselves for a sad and premature goodbye.

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