Man Utd stunned by surprise U-turn in Antony upgrade pursuit

Tom Weber

• Updated: 19 Jan 2024 16:42 GMT
• 3 min read

Borussia Dortmund's Donyell Malen is no longer for sale, according to a report.

The Dutch winger had wanted out of Dortmund after being fed up with the general situation at the club, who looked well off the pace domestically in the first half of the Bundesliga season. Moreover, it has been claimed, that Malen was unhappy about being used as a right-winger, preferring to play on the left or centrally.

Head coach Edin Terzic rectified the latter by playing him on the left wing against promoted Darmstadt in the first game after the winter break and now it seems that there has been a shift in Dortmund's plans for the 25-year-old. Previously, they were more than happy to grant his exit wish.

Indeed, Malen switched to Erik ten Hag's SEG agency in anticipation of a move and FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that Man Utd were considering making a loan offer with an option to buy the Dutchman, who could have been an upgrade on Antony, in the summer. Dortmund were hoping to recoup their original €30 million outlay, but it seems they are no longer willing to cash in on him this month.

Malen not for sale anymore

At least that's according to BILD's Christian Falk. The German journalist told CaughtOffside: “Dortmund changed their mind over selling Donyell Malen in January for two reasons. One being the lack of a concrete offer, as of this moment, for Malen."

"He changed his agent but that hasn’t helped. The other reason is Karim Adeyemi’s injury, so they’re going to need him for the rest of the season as well. He played well in the last few matches, and one thing to also consider is the arrival of fellow Dutchman Ian Maatsen."

"The hope is these two players can push each other on to improve their performances throughout the remainder of the season. Malen is still considered sellable in the summer but, for now, he has to stay.”