Aston Villa have struck a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Donyell Malen in a package worth an initial £20m. Unai Emery is poised to make the Dutchman, a longtime target, his first signing of the year.

Emery admires forwards who can play across several positions and Malen, who has won 41 caps for the Netherlands, will bolster his front line, which features Ollie Watkins, Jhon Durán, Morgan Rogers and Leon Bailey. Malen has scored five goals in 21 matches for Dortmund this season.

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Emery was attracted to Rogers, a revelation after arriving from Middlesbrough last January in a £15m deal, in part owing to his versatility. Malen was an influential part of the Dortmund team that reached last season’s Champions League final, in which Villa’s summer signing Ian Maatsen also played.

Villa plan to make a couple more signings, with Celta Vigo’s full-back Óscar Mingueza another priority target. Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, was in Spain last week to watch the 25-year-old defender. The Spain international would provide competition for Matty Cash and potentially allow Kosta Nedeljkovic to depart on loan.

Villa could face a tricky decision on Durán if European heavyweights such as Paris-Saint Germain crystallise their interest in the Colombia forward. Durán would command a huge fee after scoring 12 goals in 26 games this season.

The Villa winger Jaden Philogene, who returned in the summer from Hull, is likely to depart this month, with Ipswich the frontrunners to sign him. Diego Carlos, one of the club’s high earners, is in talks over a move to Fenerbahce. Offloading Carlos would help Villa comply with profitability and sustainability regulations.

Chelsea are asking for more than £20m to sell Renato Veiga, who is wanted by Dortmund on loan with an option to buy.

Veiga, who can play at left-back, centre-back or in central midfield, is keen for a new challenge despite joining Chelsea for £12m from FC Basel last summer. The 21-year-old, who is said to have agreed terms with Dortmund, has made seven Premier League appearances and is keen to find regular football.

It is thought that Veiga’s desire to leave is partly down to his aim to secure a place in Portugal’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. However Chelsea do not want to let him out on loan and are adamant they will consider only a permanent deal. The club could make a profit if Veiga, who has also been linked with Napoli, is sold.

It could still be a risk, though, given that Veiga provides cover for Marc Cucurella at left-back. Ben Chilwell is out of favour and will be allowed to leave, although firm interest in the England left-back is yet to materialise. Chelsea could need a new back-up for Cucurella if Veiga goes.

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s head coach, acknowledged Veiga’s situation before Tuesday’s home game against Bournemouth. Maresca dropped the youngster from the squad for last month’s league game against Fulham for “technical reasons”.

Veiga has started only one league game and has mostly been used in cup competitions. He started at left-back when Chelsea beat Morecambe 5-0 in the FA Cup on Saturday and has been a regular in the Europa Conference League.

Chelsea are open to sales and could also allow the midfielders Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka to leave. Dewsbury-Hall joined from Leicester last summer and has interest from West Ham. Chukwuemeka has a £40m buyout clause.

Money raised through sales could help Chelsea fund a move for a centre-back, with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi in their sights. There are also doubts over the future of the France striker Christopher Nkunku.