Borussia Dortmund’s £40 million-rated forward Donyell Malen feels he has unfinished business in the Premier League and would jump at the chance to return to Arsenal at some point.
While the Dutch international has no regrets about his decision to leave and turn his back on his Gunners dream – he joined PSV Eindhoven for just £500,000 back in 2017 – Donyell Malen would have no qualms about re-tracing his roots should the opportunity arrive either.
Now at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga yet facing an uncertain future, Malen admits that he would jump at the chance to pick up where he left off in North London seven years ago.
Donyell Malen has unfinished business at Arsenal
“I think because I played as a youth player in England, it is always the dream to play in the Premier League,” Malen tells Voetbal Zone.
“I want Arsenal, my favourite club. Yes (I would go back).
“I played there when I was younger. I really wanted to break through (into the first-team) there, so yes (I’d go back).”
He would return a far more mature, established talent, at the age of 25. Malen was prolific at PSV, scoring 27 goals in his final season, and has become a key figure in Dortmund’s frontline after a sluggish start to life in Germany. He was arguably the driving force behind last term’s Bundesliga title pursuit.
The jet-heeled forward averages a ‘goal contribution’ every other game these days too (12 goals and three assists in 30 matches across 2023/24), and opened the scoring with a fierce if deflected effort against his former employers PSV in the Champions League last-16 first-leg last week, 24 hours before Arsenal lost to Porto.
Dutchman leading Dortmund’s Champions League charge
According to BILD, Dortmund would consider cashing in on Malen this summer. So long as their asking price – around £40 million – is met, that is.
“Every now and then in a football career, there are points at which you just have to make a decision,” adds Malen, explaining why he accepted PSV’s offer before making his senior bow at Arsenal.
“Yes, I was training with the first team but I thought; ‘I have to just play professional football’,”
“I also saw my team-mates playing professional football while I was still playing youth football. I just knew (going elsewhere) was the right thing to do.”
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