Donyell Malen exit on at Aston Villa as billionaire-backed club circle
Aston Villa may have to say some tough transfer goodbyes this month.
Despite still clinging on in the Premier League title race, Aston Villa have been warned against spending big in the winter transfer window as they look to stay in the financial good books.
As such, Unai Emery may have to look for shrewd business deals this month, and he might’ve already bagged a bargain after Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Alysson on New Year’s Day.
Tammy Abraham has been linked with a return to Villa Park, which has come as somewhat of a surprise despite the fact he’s been performing well for Turkish giants Besiktas this season.
And, now Aston Villa fans may know why their former striker is being touted with a sensational reunion.
Donyell Malen linked with Roma move
Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, in which Donyell Malen provided the assist for Emiliano Buendia’s opening goal on 22 minutes.
The 26-year-old has largely been a backup player since moving to Villa Park from Borussia Dortmund in January of last year, with the likes of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Buendia, Jadon Sancho and Evann Guessand all for company across that forward line.
And, in a fresh report from Sportitalia journalist Alfredo Pedulla via X on Sunday, Malen could be on his way out of Aston Villa this month, with Italian outfit Roma interested in acquiring his services.
Roma are owned by American billionaire businessman Dan Friedkin, who also became Everton’s majority owner in December 2024.
Why Malen sale wouldn’t make sense for Aston Villa
Malen hasn’t quite taken to life in English football as strongly as Aston Villa would’ve hoped, but he’s been far from a flop either.
Indeed, the Netherlands international has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 29 total appearances this season, with four of those strikes and one of those assists coming in 21 Premier League outings.
- Malen is averaging 0.56 goals per 90 minutes in the PL this season
- That ranks him in the top 2.8 percentile of PL strikers in 2025-26
- He’s also taking 3.77 shots per 90 (top 3.7 percentile), per FotMob
Malen’s per 90 minute numbers are very good in a host of key attacking metrics, and paint a picture of a player who could be poised to make a real impact for Villa should he be granted a larger role by Emery.
On top of that, he’s currently Villa’s only natural centre-forward option behind Watkins, and so if he was to leave and the England international was forced to miss time through injury and/or suspension, Emery and Villa could really rue the sale of Malen.
Stay up to date this winter with our Aston Villa transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Villa Park, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.