Word stemming from the Dutch media on Friday suggests that Liverpool are lining up a summer move for PSV Eindhoven star Donyell Malen.
PSV standout
Malen, 22, has long been viewed as one of the Eredivisie’s brightest talents.
The Dutchman is a centre-forward by trade, but also extremely versatile, and more than capable of lining out on either wing.
The extent of Malen’s abilities should come as little surprise, with the youngster having made his way through the youth ranks of Ajax, before spending two years with Arsenal between 2015 and 2017.
It is Malen’s time spent back in his home country with PSV, though, which has seen him earn a name as a potential star in the making.
Donyell Malen of PSV during the Dutch Eredivisie match between PSV Eindhoven and VVV Venlo at the Phillips stadium on October 06, 2019 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands(Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
The 8-time capped Netherlands international, combining touch, pace and a keen eye for both goal and a defence splitting pass, directly contributed to 13 goals in just 14 league appearances last season.
And, having since recovered from a lengthy spell out of action following knee surgery, Malen’s production has since reached even more impressive heights this time around.
All told, in 40 outings across all competitions in 2020/21, the attacker has racked up a head-turning 24 goals and 9 assists.
Anfield switch?
Such stellar exploits, though, have inevitably begun to pique attentions elsewhere.
In the past, the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona and even former club Arsenal have all been tipped to launch bids for Malen.
And now, on Friday, yet another European heavyweight have been added to the attacker’s growing list of admirers.
As per a report from Dutch outlet Voetbal International, Liverpool have set their sights on Malen’s signature.
Not only that, but it is suggested that the soon-to-be dethroned Premier League champions are at the front of the queue for the PSV star, who is expected to depart the Philips Stadion ahead of next season.
Jurgen Klopp’s interest in luring Malen to Anfield makes sense, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino having looked short of their best across much of the campaign to date, and the Dutch international capable of lining out anywhere across a front-3.
Whether a summer deal is actually forthcoming, though, of course remains to be seen.
NEW: Liverpool reportedly leading the race for Donyell Malen.https://t.co/FAy23rTV9q
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) April 23, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 33 | 45 | 77 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 32 | 29 | 66 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 32 | 21 | 59 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 32 | 19 | 55 |
| 5 | West Ham United FC | 32 | 11 | 55 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 33 | 18 | 53 |
| 7 | Liverpool FC | 32 | 16 | 53 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 31 | 3 | 49 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 32 | 8 | 46 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 32 | 0 | 46 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 31 | 9 | 44 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 32 | -9 | 41 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 31 | -19 | 38 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 32 | -18 | 36 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 32 | -18 | 35 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 32 | -5 | 34 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 32 | -19 | 33 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 33 | -18 | 27 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 32 | -34 | 24 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 32 | -39 | 14 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 21 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 19 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 15 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 14 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 14 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 13 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Lingard, Jesse | West Ham United FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 9 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 0 | 7 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 7 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 7 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Andersen, Joachim | Fulham FC | 1 | 6 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 7 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Targett, Matt | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 8 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 6 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 6 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 6 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 6 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 6 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 6 |
| Silva, Bernardo | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
