Borussia Dortmund’s Doneyll Malen reportedly wanted by Arsenal and Liverpool

Borussia Dortmund and Netherlands attacker Donyell Malen has had an uncertain future at the club for some time now. As of this past winter, reports began to swirl that the player wanted to leave the club this summer, with clubs such as Manchester United interested in his services.

Per more recent reports (Bild), Malen is reportedly still on the list of Premier League clubs. This time however, the clubs mentioned are Arsenal and Liverpool. The report indicates that the clubs are weighing up a move but no negotiations have taken place as of yet. The asking price on Dortmund’s end seems to be 40 million euros.

Malen’s time at Dortmund has been a turbulent ride, with the player going through spells of scoring important goals to stretches of matches where his impact is not readily visible on the pitch. In some ways, this has been attributed to where and how Dortmund has utilized him. The player himself prefers it play more centrally, but previous head coach Edin Terzić often opted for the player or play out wide.

Despite these fluctuations in form, the moments that Malen has excelled at in Dortmund really encapsulated the type of goal threat the player can be. The Dutchman’s 13 goals and 1 assist in the Bundesliga alone mark his best season yet in black and yellow. On the flip side, his very low shot-creating actions (3.38) and progressive passing numbers (2.98) per 90 over the last year highlight a certain lack of creativity in his game, which is one of the criticisms that have been leveled at the player this season.

It remains to be seen if and how new head coach Nuri Şahin plans to utilize Donyell Malen this season. It’s clear that the player can certainly be a goal threat, and under the right circumstances could flourish significantly, but a decision must be made soon so that Dortmund can plan accordingly for this pre-season and the 2024/25 campaign beyond. In the event of a departure, bringing in a potential successor would become a priority and could possibly allow for extra funds for Dortmund to invest in other areas on the pitch, widening the range of possible incomings the club could see as the summer transfer window continues to unravel.