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Tottenham Hotspur have been named as a potential destination for a player who has more league goals than Harry Kane since the start of 2026.
Signing a centre-forward is expected to be a priority for Spurs in January, with neither Dominic Solanke nor Omar Marmoush delivering the goals that were expected of them so far.
While Tottenham’s top striker target from summer, Eli Junior Kroupi, has now returned from injury, reports indicate that Bournemouth are reluctant to sell the striker in January.
It has now emerged that the Lilywhites could go back in for a former Premier League striker, who has a point to prove in English football.
Former Aston Villa striker Donyell Malen may not have set the world alight during his time in England, but he has hit a new level since his move to Roma back in January.
The striker, who initially joined the Gialorossi on loan in January of this year before making the move permanent in the summer, has scored 26 goals since the start of the year, which is the most by any player in Europe’s top five leagues in 2026.
His form has attracted interest from the Premier League, with The Telegraph revealing that Tottenham and Man United could potentially eye a move.
Spurs’ interest in Malen dates back to January of 2025, the same window as he moved to Villa, while United are expected to take a closer look at the Dutchman when they face Roma in the Champions League this evening.
It is also revealed that Roberto De Zerbi is a fan of Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini, and will likely be following Malen’s exploits in his system over in Serie A.
While Malen does not have a great goal record in the Premier League, he was used out wide a lot by Unai Emery rather than as a central striker.
Since his move to Serie A, the former Borussia Dortmund man has shown that he is at his best as a number nine, and given the similarities between De Zerbi’s and Gasperini’s style of play, he could be ideally suited to leading the line for Spurs.
Tottenham already have a sizable Dutch contingent with Micky van de Ven, Xavi Simons and Jan Paul van Hecke, which could potentially help the Lilywhites convince Malen regarding a switch to N17.
| Statistic | Malen | Solanke | Marmoush |
| Club | Roma | Tottenham | Tottenham |
| League | Serie A | Premier League | Premier League |
| Appearances | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Starts | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Minutes | 575 | 449 | 594 |
| Goals | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Assists | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Goal involvements | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 | 0 |