Which iconic players Donyell Malen has been compared to as Aston Villa pursue Borussia Dortmund ace

Aston Villa were one of the Premier League’s busiest clubs during the summer transfer window and it looks as though they’re taking a similar approach in January.

Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Enzo Barrenechea and Ross Barkley were among those who arrived at Villa Park over the summer.

Now, a player who has earned comparisons with the likes of Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez could be on the move to Aston Villa over the coming weeks.

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Aston Villa keen on Donyell Malen as Borussia Dortmund look to offload winger for £25m

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has confirmed that Villa have made Donyell Malen their top target this month, due to Villarreal winger Alex Baena not being available in January.

Borussia Dortmund are open to letting Malen leave the club for around £25million this month and have offered him to Villa among other Premier League clubs.

Along with Villa, the likes of Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and West Ham have been offered the chance to sign Malen.

Malen made a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven after leaving Arsenal’s academy in 2017, registering 55 goals and 24 assists in 116 appearances for the Dutch club.

This earned Malen a move to Dortmund, where he has made 131 appearances and registered 39 goals and 20 assists.

However, Malen has been struggling for game time under Nuri Sahin this season, culminating in his availability on the market this summer.

Donyell Malen likened to Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez

Former Ajax youth coach Brian Tevreden likened Malen to Alexis Sanchez when the reported Villa target was coming through the ranks at the Dutch club.

“It’s hard to describe him,” he told FourFourTwo. “If I have to compare him with a player in the Premier League, he seems a bit like Alexis Sanchez.”

Meanwhile, the Bundesliga website has now compared Malen to Chelsea and Belgium icon Eden Hazard.

‘Malen is almost the complete package when you think of a modern-day forward,’ they wrote.

‘The 25-year-old has already shown he can operate across the pitch in any attacking position, playing mostly as a centre-forward at PSV but now excelling from the right of Dortmund’s attack.

‘Malen combines his incredible speed and technical ability on the ball with an eye for goal and aptitude for defensive work, which have endeared him to the Dortmund faithful.

‘Standing at 5’8″, Malen is no big man up front, but rather a forward who prefers to run in behind to get defenders chasing him, or come short to link up with players around him.

‘In that sense he is reminiscent of Chelsea great Eden Hazard, whose squat dribbling style and long-range shooting made him a nightmare for defenders.’

The Bundesliga website also carried quotes from some of Malen’s peers, including former teammate Mario Gotze.

“Donyell is extremely fast and very dangerous. If he has a chance, it’s usually a goal, too,” Gotze is quoted as saying. “He’s still young, but has really good abilities.”

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