Donyell Malen Makes £21.6m Move from Aston Villa to Roma

Netherlands striker Donyell Malen has completed a transfer from Aston Villa to Roma, just one year after joining Villa Park. The deal, as announced by Roma, is an initial loan with an option to buy, while Villa's statement does not specify the terms, it is reported that the option becomes an obligation if certain conditions are met. According to reports in Italy, Roma will pay an initial loan fee of £1.7m, followed by a £21.6m fee if the deal becomes permanent. Malen had also drawn interest from Atletico Madrid and Juventus. Having spent the past few days in the Italian capital finalizing the move, he is expected to play regularly as a centre-forward, a role he was assured of by Roma. Malen initially signed with Villa from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £21m and went on to make 46 appearances, scoring 10 goals and providing two assists. His departure leaves Villa boss Unai Emery with limited options up front, including Ollie Watkins and Evann Guessand. Villa are currently exploring the possibility of signing Roma striker Tammy Abraham, who is on loan at Besiktas. Earlier in the transfer window, Villa signed young strikers Brian Madjo and Alysson, but they are viewed as development players.