In an interview with Dutch outlet Voetbal Zone, Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malen has revealed his dream of playing in the Premier League with Arsenal.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a summer move away from the Bundesliga heavyweights and it has been reported by BILD that he could be sold for up to £43 million.
Speaking to Voetbal Zone, Malen has now confessed that he has a dream of playing in the English top-flight and he wants to return to Arsenal, having failed to breakthrough to the senior squad as a teenager.
He said: “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. I went to Arsenal [when I was younger] so yes, them. I want Arsenal, 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.
“I did make steps in the right direction, but I thought I had to just play professional football. I also saw my team-mates playing professional football while I was still playing youth football and I just knew [leaving] was the right thing to do.”
Back-up choice
Malen is currently in his 3rd season with Dortmund, but there is talk of him leaving the club in the summer. The 25-year-old started the campaign in an inconsistent fashion, but he has picked up his form in recent months. The forward has registered 12 goals and 4 assists from 30 appearances for the German giants.
The majority of his goal involvements have come from the right wing where Arsenal may look for a new back-up option. Bukayo Saka has been sensational from the role with 16 goals and 13 assists, but there has been no back-up off the bench with Reiss Nelson scoring just 1 goal in his 21 games for the London outfit.
Malen could be the answer for the deputy role behind Saka. The once Arsenal graduate could also do a similar job from the left wing where he has played 81 times in his career. He is already capable of featuring as a centre-forward where most of his success came at PSV Eindhoven before his move to German football.
With his ability to play in 3 different attacking positions, Arsenal could make an approach to re-sign him from Dortmund. The major question mark is whether the Netherlands star will accept a reduced starting role with the Gunners, having averaged 66 minutes per league appearance during his time at Dortmund.
