Malen could have joined Napoli: why the deal collapsed before his Roma move

Donyell Malen could have been lining up for Napoli against Roma tonight, rather than leading the line for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

According to Il Mattino, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Napoli identified the Dutch striker as a target in last January’s transfer window. Lorenzo Lucca had gone out on loan, and the club knew Romelu Lukaku’s time in Naples was coming to an end.

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 in, signing Malen from Aston Villa on a loan with a €2m fee and a €25m option to buy.

Malen and Højlund go head to head at the Maradona

The move has worked out superbly for Roma. Malen has six Serie A goals this season, second only to the league’s top scorers Varela and Raimondo, and scored twice in last week’s 4-3 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.

Rasmus Højlund, by contrast, has managed just two goals in seven league games since joining Napoli. Massimiliano Allegri said on Friday that he isn’t concerned about the Dane’s tally as long as the team wins.

Tonight’s game gives Højlund the perfect chance to respond, against the striker Napoli let slip.