'I don't think...' - intriguing update emerges in £25m Aston Villa transfer saga as Rogers comparison made

Aston Villa are believed to be closing in on a stunning move for a former Champions League finalist this January.

The Villains are keen to bolster their attacking depth in the second half of the season to boost their hopes of Champions League qualification after a difficult December period which saw Unai Emery’s side fall to defeats against the likes of Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.

Football Insider understands Villa have identified 41-time Netherlands international Donyell Malen as the perfect addition to their first team squad due to his tremendous pace, versatility, European experience and composure in front of goal.

Malen caused Newcastle huge problems against them in the Champions League last season and notably netted twice for Netherlands against Romania in the round of 16 at Euro 2024.

Are Aston Villa likely to sign Donyell Malen?

The January transfer window is renowned for being a difficult time to get deals over the line, but Finance expert Stefan Borson claims a £15m move would be very feasible to Aston Villa and compared the potential deal to the signing of Morgan Rogers, who arrived 12 months ago from Middlesbrough.

Borson explained: “I think it’s like last year when they bought Morgan Rogers for this kind of fee. “We are talking about £15 million. Although I don’t think Dortmund want to do the deal. When you are paying £15 million for a player, who is probably on quite a relatively low wage, it’s not that big of a deal to do it in January.

“If you split that £15 million deal over five years, that’s £3 million a year. That is then half of that because it’s only half a year of amortisation. It’s only £1.5 million of amortisation, and then there is the wage cost for six months. It’s just not a big deal. I don’t think it tells you anything about their overall financial position.”

How much is Donyell Malen likely to cost?

Earlier reports from Birmingham World state that Malen is keen on a move to the West Midlands in the near future and claim that full agreement over personal terms has already been reached between both parties.

However, the one stumbling block in the deal continues to be the transfer fee, and Athletic transfer guru Ben Jacobs claims that an initial offer of £15m was rejected by the Bundesliga giants on 2 January. Dortmund are said to be insisting on a package of around €30 million (£24.9m) but the Villans are eager to sign Malen for less.

The 25-year-old attacker has registered 39 goals and 20 assists in 131 games in all competitions for Dortmund, while forming part of the team which finished runners-up in the Champions League last season. Malen has struggled for regular starts this season, but has still managed to register five goals and one assist in 20 outings this term.

Villa currently have Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran as their leading centre forward options, with Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey and Jaden Philogene providing depth from the bench after the departure of Moussa Diaby over the summer.