Manchester United have struggled for consistency at both ends of the field this campaign, but particularly in attack, where they’ve netted just 18 goals in 17 Premier League matches.
In turn, this poor form in attack has put Erik ten Hag’s side seventh in the table with 28 points.
With that in mind, the boss will look to bolster his attacking options in January in an attempt to increase his side's output in the final third.
Man Utd transfers latest – Donyell Malen
Christian Falk took to X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month to announce that a meeting between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund took place regarding a swap deal between Jadon Sancho and Donyell Malen.
If the English side does not agree to the player exchange, then the Bundesliga side will demand £26m for their Dutch winger.
A move in January is possible, with Malen looking to leave Dortmund and the club not opposed by his potential departure.
How Donyell Malen compares to Marcus Rashford
The Dutch forward has featured 15 times for BVB this season in the Bundesliga, scoring five goals and registering two assists, with his goal tally being one more than Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Anthony Martial and Rasmus Hojlund combined, based on Premier League stats.
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Malen is a versatile forward who can play across the front three with ease, but this season he was featured mainly off the right, which is where he has scored each goal.
The right-wing role is currently a problem position for Ten Hag, which makes the interest understandable. The ex-PSV player would bring goals to the side, with his goal-scoring instincts making him “simply unstoppable” at times, according to Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.
The 24-year-old is more of an inverted forward who focuses on scoring goals rather than creating them, using his pace and movement to get into dangerous positions, which is very reminiscent of Marcus Rashford. The table below shows how the two attackers compare based on their stats from the last year across the top European leagues.
Goals
0.55
0.46
Assists
0.20
0.15
Key passes
1.02
1.10
Touches (Att pen)
5.76
6.14
Shots total
3.96
3.34
As you can see by the low completed passes and key pass statistics, Rashford and Malen are goal scorers who rarely create or get involved in build-up using passing. They are both direct, like to shoot at any given opportunity, and thrive inside the box, which most likely stems from years as centre forwards throughout their youth careers.
#1 Marcus Rashford
#2 Moussa Diaby
#3 Samuel Chukwueze
#4 Raheem Sterling
#5 Rafael Leao
Data via FBRef's 'similar players' model
United’s number ten on the left and the Netherlands international on the right would provide a balanced attack that has goals on both sides, not just the left, and with Bruno Fernandes drifting over to the left and Luke Shaw at left-back, Malen would often find himself drifting to the back post to get on the end of crosses.
With Antony failing to score all season in 18 appearances, it is no wonder that Ten Hag wants to sign an attacker who can feature off the right. If the deal was to go through, Malen and Rashford could become one of the most prolific duos in the Premier League, and £26m does seem like a bargain for the BVB star.