Aston Villa have been hard at work again in the January 2025 transfer market, just as they have always been since Unai Emery took charge of the club as manager with his close confidant from Sevilla, sporting director Monchi.
The Villains are a little off the Champions League pace this season, and they have a number of needs in their squad, with the two biggest being a dynamic winger and a right back.
Right now, the main transfer focus for Aston Villa this winter has been adding a winger to take pressure off former Bundesliga star Leon Bailey, as they have yet to replace another former Bayer Leverkusen winger, Moussa Diaby, who was sold for a modest profit last summer to the Saudi Pro League after a mediocre first season at Villa Park.
Well, Aston Villa seem to be headed back to the Bundesliga for their first-choice target, as they have been in ongoing negotiations with Borussia Dortmund for Donyell Malen, who is no longer an undisputed starter in their squad.
Aston Villa and Dortmund have been going back-and-forth over a difference between 25 and 30 million euros in transfer talks, as the Villains already had a personal agreement with Malen.
Now, according to a report from top Bundesliga insider Florian Plettenberg, Aston Villa have reached a total agreement with Dortmund for the Malen transfer, compromising on the deal by offering 25 million euros up front and an additional five million euros in add-ons.
It’s always interesting to hear about add-ons to deals, because it’s highly variable how they can be activated, but five million euros is a very modest amount in add-ons and simply bridges the gap for booking purposes to help Dortmund take the “yes”.
With this deal likely to be official soon, Aston Villa get the explosive winger they wanted to add another option to their attack, and they can focus on their other transfer needs, especially the right back who will play behind Malen.
