Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen has revealed that he would be eager to rejoin Arsenal in order to realise his goal of playing in the Premier League.
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WHAT HAPPENED?
It had been reported earlier that Malen will be made available for transfer this summer as Dortmund prepare for a restructuring, with a €50m (£43m/$54m) price tag set on the 25-year-old. Malen is enjoying the best season of his Bundesliga career this year. In 21 Bundesliga games, he has scored ten goals. The 25-year-old, who is now a crucial member of Dortmund’s attack, acknowledged that he still has dreams of playing in the Premier League.
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WHAT MALEN SAID
Speaking to Voetbalzone, Malen said [via 90Min]: “I think, because I played in England as a youth, it is a dream to play in the Premier League. I think that is a beautiful dream.”
Asked specifically about a return to Arsenal, Malen added: “Yes I would [return]. I wanted Arsenal [as a teenager], my favourite club. I played there in my youth, I really wanted to break through there. Every now and then in a football career there are points at which you just have to make a decision.
“Yes, I was training with the first team, and I was 17, 18 at the time and I did make steps in the right direction, but I thought I had to just play professional football. I also saw my teammates playing professional football while I was still playing youth football and I knew [leaving] was the right thing to do.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Malen was acquired by Arsenal from Ajax in 2015 as a highly touted talent. The Dutchman had a successful tenure with the Gunners’ youth teams, making waves at the Under-18 and Under-23 levels before deciding to play senior football and joining PSV Eindhoven.
WHAT NEXT FOR MALEN?
The Dutchman will likely be a starter for Edin Terzic’s Borussia Dortmund when they take on Union Berlin on Saturday, March 2. The Black and Yellow will take on Malen’s old team PSV in the Champions League on March 14.
