Donyell Malen: Newcastle target could become ‘the best player in the world’ as move explored

Donyell Malen could be set for an instant return to the Premier League this summer after Football Insider reported that Newcastle United are interested.

The forward only left Aston Villa in the January transfer window, allowing him to join Roma in an initial loan deal that will be made permanent for a fee reportedly around £21.6million.

The Serie A side likely hope to, at least, double their money, with Malen enjoying a staggeringly good start to life in Italy.

The Netherlands international has scored 12 goals and provided two assists in just 17 appearances across all competitions.

Newcastle transfer chiefs are among several clubs keen to see that form replicated elsewhere, although Roma are unlikely to make a summer deal easy.

Donyell Malen in staggering Serie A form as interest mounts

Football Insider exclusively revealed this week that Roma could look to cash in on Malen this summer, especially if they miss out on Champions League football.

The Italian side are currently just one point away from fourth-placed Juventus and the final Champions League position, with the next three games to be crucial.

Malen has played exclusively through the middle of the attack for Gian Piero Gasperini, and has been handed something he never had at Villa – consistency.

In his year under Unai Emery, the 27-year-old was constantly pulled in and out of the starting line-up, sometimes playing through the middle, the left, or the right of the attack.

Ultimately, the Netherlands international ended his Villa career with 10 goals in 46 appearances – not a bad return, considering that just 14 of them were starts.

Eventually, Malen got sick of Emery’s loyalty to Ollie Watkins, and his form since leaving has indicated that the Spaniard may have got it wrong.

The striker has been electric in Serie A, with confidence clearly flowing through him since leaving a difficult situation at Villa.

Rafael van de Vaart on ‘mega talent’ Malen

Malen got a taste of England from a young age when he was signed from Ajax by Arsenal’s academy in 2017.

The teenager was highly rated but struggled to settle in, and returned to the Netherlands to join PSV just one year later.

It was there that he discovered the form that eventually earned him his move to Borussia Dortmund, and later, Villa. The return of that form could now see the forward move for massive money back to the Premier League.

“I like him so much,” said former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart in 2024. “I’ve said it before: it seems like he doesn’t believe. The question I actually want to ask him is: do you want to become the best player in the world?

“Because he really has everything to become one. I am really one hundred percent convinced of that. I almost want to grab him by his throat.

“I really see in him a mega talent. It annoys me that he doesn’t get everything out of it. I see a potential that no one has.”

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