Stu Forster/Getty Images

 

Donyell Malen wants to leave Aston Villa for Roma due to his desire to play as a number 9 on a regular basis, with the decision based purely on football matters, according to journalist John Percy.

 

Last January, Aston Villa shelled out £21m to Borussia Dortmund to secure the versatile forward, who has earned praise from Unai Emery for his tactical intelligence.

 

A year on, Roma are closing in on the signing of the 26-year-old with a deal structured around a £2m loan fee and a £25m obligation to buy.

 

 

Malen backed himself to succeed at Aston Villa, despite a tough Premier League adaptation period, as recently as November.

 

It is suggested that Emery does rate Malen, but views him more as a second striker, with Ollie Watkins the central striker.

 

Malen has largely been playing second fiddle to Watkins this season, featuring sporadically yet always making an impact when called upon.

 

 

At the weekend, he started in his preferred central role and set up a crucial assist in the FA Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur, helping the Villans edge a 2-1 victory.

 

 

Emery, however, does not see the 26-year-old as an automatic starter, with Malen having started only five Premier League games this season.

 

Star
On loan from

Evan Ferguson
Brighton

Kostas Tsimikas
Liverpool

Leon Bailey
Aston Villa

Roma’s current loan stars

 

Still, he has delivered seven goals and two assists in 29 appearances across all competitions.

 

 

Roma have been seeking to sign Malen this month and the attacker wants the move for footballing reasons.

 

 

Malen wants to play more games as the central striker, something which he would be unlikely to get by staying at Villa Park.

 

He may also have concerns about game time in general, with one former Dutch star claiming that last term Malen was ‘quite upset at having played so little’ for Aston Villa.

 

Atletico Madrid have also been in the mix for Malen, but Roma retained pole position given their agreement with Aston Villa.

 

Villa have added promising Brazilian forward Alysson to their squad this month, but have lost out on Conor Gallagher to Tottenham.

Â