Aston Villa have completed the signing of Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund for an initial £20m. The Netherlands forward, who can play across the front line, was left out of the Bundesliga club’s squad for the trip to Kiel on Tuesday as he finalised a move to the Premier League.

The 25-year-old has been a longtime target for Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, who is hopeful of further additions. The Celta Vigo full-back Óscar Mingueza is thought to be high on their list of defensive targets.

Malen’s arrival is set to pave the way for the £13m summer signing Jaden Philogene, who returned to the club after a fine season at Hull, to depart for Ipswich. Villa are expected to bank a substantial profit on Philogene despite the winger struggling to make an impact.

Villa will look to fend off serious interest in Jhon Durán, who has been a revelation this season, with the 21-year-old displacing Ollie Watkins as first-choice striker in recent weeks. Paris-Saint Germain are among the major European clubs interested in him.

Villa travel to Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday and Malen could feature against his former club Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Malen, who is thought to have signed a long-term contract, spent two years in Arsenal’s youth ranks.

Manchester City are closing in on the signing of the Palmeiras centre-back Vitor Reis with an agreement in principle understood to have been reached. The 19-year-old Brazilian looks poised to join the Premier League champions for about £30m.

City are working to bring in another central defender in Lens’s Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov after a considerable slump in results. They won only once in 13 games as 2024 drew to a close and lie sixth in the league table before the trip to Brentford on Tuesday.

City have had a number of injury problems and their list of players sidelined in recent weeks includes the centre-backs John Stones and Rúben Dias.

West Ham’s search for a striker has led them to explore a loan move for RB Leipzig’s André Silva. Injuries have left Graham Potter in desperate need of attacking reinforcements and Silva is viewed as an attractive option in a difficult market. The Portugal forward has had a tough season, having fallen behind Benjamin Sesko and Loïs Openda in the pecking order, but he is an experienced player with a good goalscoring record.

West Ham, who have also shortlisted Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi and Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, are considering moving for Silva on a straight loan until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old scored 40 goals in 57 league appearances at Eintracht Frankfurt between 2019 and 2021, and has 27 goals in all competitions for Leipzig. Silva, who spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad, has also played for Milan and Sevilla and made his name with 17 goals in 41 league games for Porto.

West Ham, who have lost Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Niclas Füllkrug to injury, do not have extensive funds and Silva could prove value for money. He is regarded as an intelligent player adept at holding the ball up and bringing teammates into play.

Potter, who took over from Julen Lopetegui last week, will have a big say on transfers. He is mulling over various options and does not want West Ham to rush into the wrong decision. There is a feeling that Awoniyi could be a complicated deal because of Forest’s need for a replacement if they let the 27-year-old leave. West Ham believe their chances of signing Marcus Rashford on loan are remote.