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Football London
Sport
Lee Wilmot

Who is Donyell Malen? The talented frontman Arsenal let go that will cost them £53m to re-sign

Donyell Malen is ripping it up in the Netherlands.

And his form will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many Arsenal supporters.

After all, he is on a list headed 'The ones that got away'.

Every club will have those players that they let go and went on to bigger and better things.

And it appears that Malen is just such a player for Arsenal. His form in the Netherlands has alerted Barcelona, with the Catalan giants in the market for a £50million.

Even Arsenal have been tipped to make a move to re-sign the striker, such is his impressive turn of form.

Who is Donyell Malen?

He is a 20-year-old striker who started his career at Ajax.

He was a player the Dutch giants did not want to lose, but he turned down their advances to stay to make the move to England, joining Arsenal over the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the summer of 2015.

Arsene Wenger accepts Legend award

There was, at the time, a considerable amount of hype and expectation surrounding the prospect and he produced some encouraging performances at U18 level and quickly made the step up to what was then the U21s.

He impressed with the U23s during the 2016/17 season, but with first team opportunities limited, the Gunners were happy to sell and let him leave for PSV Eindhoven in 2017.

What happened next?

Well it looked as if Arsenal's decision was justified, with Malen not making an impact in the Eredivisie the next season, playing just four times at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

The 2018/19 season started better, starting the year on the substitutes' bench, often introduced in the second half of matches.

He scored four goals in 20 appearances, but really shot to fame at the end of the campaign.

Six goals in 11 games to end the season put him at the forefront of manager Mark van Bommel's plans.

And this season?

Well, it's been quite the year already for Malen.

The season may only be two months old, but Malen already has 16 goals to his name - in 17 appearances for PSV.

(RAIGO PAJULA/AFP/Getty Images)

Not to mention he opened his international account too, scoring on his debut in the 4-2 win over Germany.

Malen really made the headlines when PSV thrashed Vitesse Arnhem 5-0 in September. The reason? He scored all five goals.

What does the future hold?

Arsenal are reportedly interested in re-signing the frontman, although it's going to cost them.

The Gunners let Malen leave the Emirates for less than £500,000 in 2017 and it is likely to cost them in the region of £50million if they want to buy him back in January or next summer.

But there will no doubt be competition for his signature.

Spanish giants Barcelona have been tracking the youngster according to Sport and have already asked about his availability and the price tag on his head.

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