A FORMER Arsenal player who was sold for just £600,000 has said it would be his dream to return to his “favourite” club.
The Dutch forward, 25, joined Arsenal’s academy in 2015 from Ajax and spent two years with the Gunners before leaving for PSV in search of first-team football.
And after spending four years in Eindhoven, Donyell Malen moved to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, where he has been in impressive form.
The centre-forward has 10 goals in 21 games this season, and has chipped in with two assists.
That’s put top European clubs in need of a striker on alert – with Arsenal being one possible destination.
He told Dutch outlet Voetbalzone that he would grab the chance to re-join the Gunners should it become available.
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Malen 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.”
When asked specifically if it would be a dream to sign for Arsenal, Malen said: “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.”
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German outlet Bild claim that Malen will be available for transfer this summer, with Dortmund slapping a £43million price tag on the 25-year-old.
Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for a forward in January following a December blip in which they struggled for goals.
But now they are scoring for fun, despite Gabriel Jesus’ continued struggles with fitness, scoring 15 goals in their last three Premier League games.
The majority of those goals are coming through wingers, which could heighten Malen’s appeal, given he can play in every position across a front three.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
