Napoli Let Donyell Malen Slip Away in January — Now He Returns to the Maradona in a Roma Shirt
Donyell Malen could have been lining up for Napoli against Roma tonight, rather than leading the line for Gian Piero Gasperini's side at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
According to Il Mattino, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Napoli identified the Dutch striker as a target in last January's transfer window, only for the move to fall through before Roma pounced.
Why the Napoli deal collapsed
Napoli's planning last winter was shaped by two clear signals: Lorenzo Lucca had gone out on loan, and the club knew that Romelu Lukaku's time in Naples was coming to an end. Malen, then at Aston Villa, emerged as the man they wanted to fill the void.
However, the interest never turned into a formal negotiation. Napoli were held back by restrictions on their transfer activity during the winter window, and Roma moved decisively, signing Malen from Aston Villa on a loan deal featuring a €2m fee and a €25m option to buy.
A move that worked out for Roma
The deal has paid off handsomely for the Giallorossi. Malen has scored six Serie A goals this season — a tally second only to the league's leading scorers Varela and Raimondo — and he scored twice in last week's dramatic 4-3 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
His rise has not gone unnoticed across Europe. After Roma's 1-1 Champions League draw with Fenerbahce on Thursday 8 October 2026, in which Malen set up his side's goal, French football journalist Julien Laurens told Match of the Day that the Dutchman had become central to Gasperini's plans.
“He has been incredible since January,” said Laurens. “He has been really efficient, super clinical. Malen is at the heart of everything they do with the ball.”
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport in an interview published on 16 October 2026, Malen revealed that the exit from Aston Villa was his own doing, driven by a desire for regular football.
“I was the one who wanted to leave Aston Villa. I wanted to play every Sunday,” he said, while also praising Gasperini's demanding training methods and his new central role.
Højlund under pressure to respond
Standing opposite Malen tonight will be Rasmus Højlund, the striker Napoli turned to instead. The Dane has managed just two goals in seven league games since joining the club, a modest return that has invited scrutiny.
Napoli boss Massimiliano Allegri said on Friday that he isn't concerned about Højlund's tally so long as the team keeps winning. Even so, tonight's fixture hands Højlund the perfect chance to respond — against the very striker Napoli let slip through their fingers.
With the pair going head to head at the Maradona, the match doubles as a referendum on a January decision that Roma have already turned to their advantage.