Donyell Malen
Donyell Malen has had quite an impact as AS Roma since his arrival from Aston Villa. The Netherlands man is close to joining Gian Piero Gasperini’s side on a permanent basis.
In 2026, Malen has been one of the most prolific forwards in the top five European leagues. He has seven Serie A goals, finding the net once in the Europa League as well.
Even if Roma have fallen away from the top four and are now sixth, the striker’s impact has been clear to see. He has proven to be quite an upgrade on Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk, fitting the Gasperini’s demanding system very well.
Sport Witness have covered the hype around Malen in Italy, with Gasperini having compared him to Gianluca Vialli.
Even if Roma’s obligation to buy the player hinges on European qualification, they are increasingly convinced about a permanent deal.
Friedkins impressed with Malen
Today’sCorriere dello Sport has a detailed report about the 27-year-old. They are sure that his permanent arrival in Rome is now a done deal already.
They feel Donyell Malen has – single-handedly, changed the club’s attack. No more presidential meetings are needed to keep him beyond the season. Roma can miss out on European football but this won’t stop them from signing the Aston Villa player permanently.
The Friekdins have already given their approval for this, with Ricky Massara likely to soon put pen to paper over the move. The attacker is now viewed someone who will be the centre of the project from next season onwards.
Aston Villa will earn €25m from the departure, with a €2m loan fee already paid by Roma.
Our take: Deal proving excellent for all parties
Roma usually don’t spend big on players unless they are fully convinced about them. That, in itself, speaks volumes for how impressed they are with Donyell Malen.
The player really needed this, especially after his lack of regular game time in Birmingham. This spell also comes before the World Cup and has probably convinced Ronald Koeman about the striker’s abilities.
For Aston Villa, it is proving to be quite a good move too. They paid a total of €26m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund. Despite not really seeing the best of him, they can make a capital profit from his sale.