Malen completes permanent €25m transfer from Aston Villa to Roma

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated May 26, 2026 11:25 AM ET

Roma have officially announced the permanent acquisition of centre-forward Donyell Malen from Aston Villa, which was an obligation following the Giallorossi’s European qualification at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Official: Malen is a Roma player on a permanent basis

The Netherlands international joined Roma on loan with an option to buy from Aston Villa during the January transfer window. Recent reports confirmed that the option to buy clause would become an obligation in the event that Roma qualified for next season’s Europa League.

Roma guaranteed that they would be playing in the Europa League at a minimum following Inter’s victory against Lazio in the Coppa Italia final earlier this month, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side went one better in the final week of the 2025-26 season and secured themselves a spot in the top four, which means that they will be returning to the Champions League in 2026-27.

VERONA, ITALY – MAY 24: Donyell Malen of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate Paulo Dybala during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and AS Roma at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on May 24, 2026 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

This means that Roma triggered their obligation to buy Malen, which the club have since confirmed in a statement on their website.

“AS Roma can confirm that the club has completed the signing of Donyell Malen on a permanent deal. His contract runs until 30 June 2030,” Tuesday’s confirmation read.

“The Dutch forward has made 20 appearances and scored 15 goals since joining in the January transfer window. Congrats, Donyell!”

According to updates from Gianluca Di Marzio, Malen has signed a four-year deal at the Stadio Olimpico, tying him to Roma until the summer of 2030. Roma’s obligation to buy fee is understood to have been worth €25m.

Malen’s impact was transformational on Roma’s season, with a whopping 14 goals and two assists from 18 appearances in the Italian top flight during the second half of the campaign.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: