:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69450765/1233437470.0.jpg)
Multiple sources, including Goal.com’s Ronan Murphy and Manual Veth of Transfermarkt, are now reporting that Borussia Dortmund’s front office is showing keen interest in PSV Eindhoven attacker Donyell Malen as a possible replacement for Jadon Sancho, should the young Englishman choose to leave the club this summer.
#PSV’s Donyell Malen to #BVB appears to be far more advanced than I thought a few weeks ago. There seems to be some understanding that that deal is close. Although he is not a one for one replacement for Sancho, that could mean a deal with #MUFC could be closer now as well.
— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) June 14, 2021
The 22-year-old forward tore up the Eredivisie last season, scoring 19 goals and assisting eight more in 32 games, and adding another five goals in eight appearances in the Europa League. According to this profile I found in the Athletic, he’s an agile, quick players who makes very intelligent runs off the ball and is a “cool finisher for his age.” He can play central or drift outside. While some of his skillset overlaps with Sancho, he’s definitely more of a goalscorer than a playmaker.
The rumored fee is around €30 million, which is definitely on the upper end of what BVB can afford to spend. Whether the move happens will almost certainly depend on what happens with Jadon Sancho. If he does leave for a club like Manchester United for a high eight figure fee, then Dortmund will definitely have the money to complete the move.
I’m not a huge expert on Malen, but his numbers, his age, and his scouting profile do excite me. While he might not be a like-for-like Sancho replacement, he would be a useful tool for Marco Rose and could take up some of the goalscoring burden from Erling Haaland. Whether he does end up in black and yellow will largely depend on what happens with Sancho in the coming weeks, so for now it’s a simple wait-and-see approach for Dortmund fans.