O'Rourke: Aston Villa confident of agreeing 'great fee' for Donyell Malen
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Aston Villa are growing more confident that they can land a deal for Borussia Dortmund star Donyell Malen, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that a “great fee” is set to be agreed with Dortmund which means Villa will not have to sell anybody to compensate.
This comes after Football Insider exclusively revealed on 9 January that Unai Emery’s side have made an offer of £18million to secure the 25-year-old’s signature.
Concerns had emerged that Villa may be forced to sell players before investing in their squad this month after their struggled with profit and sustainability rules.
However, the likely price in any deal to sign Malen is not thought to be significant enough to cause any issues with regard to financial breaches.
The sales of Moussa Diaby, Douglas Luiz, Cameron Archer and Tim Iroegbunam had all been necessary to balance the books and to reinvest in their squad.
More recently, football finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider earlier that Villa could be forced to sell a young player before the end of June to avoid a points deduction.
Aston Villa pushing to agree Donyell Malen deal after financial twist
Ahead of the transfer window, Emery had prioritised a move to sign a versatile forward who could play out wide as well as through the middle.
Malen, a Netherlands international, emerged as the club’s top target as he fits that profile, and they are now working hard to get a deal over the line.
The Dortmund star has made 20 appearances across all competitions so far this season, scoring five goals and providing one assist in that time.
However, with 18 months left on his contract, the Bundesliga outfit are expected to be open to his departure should they receive an adequate offer this month.
His role in Nuri Sahin’s squad has lessened in importance, too, with half of his appearances coming from the bench, and Villa are poised to take advantage of the situation.
In other news, Aston Villa are "very interested" in re-signing Carney Chukwuemeka.
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The post O'Rourke: Aston Villa confident of agreeing 'great fee' for Donyell Malen appeared first on Football Insider.
