Roma 3-0 Pisa – Malen ‘proud’ of Batistuta comparisons as one of loan buyout conditions met

Donyell Malen has described his pride at being compared to Roma legend Gabriel Batistuta after completing his first Serie A hat-trick against Pisa, a milestone that has also triggered one of the two conditions required to make his move from Aston Villa permanent.

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The Dutch striker has been nothing short of a revelation since joining Roma on loan in January, scoring 10 goals in just 12 Serie A appearances at a remarkable rate of one every 97 minutes.

Few loan arrivals in recent memory have had such an immediate and transformative impact on a club.

“I am happy to have helped the team get going, from there everything was under control,” Malen told reporters after the match, via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“The most important thing was the three points. I am very proud of the comparison with Batistuta. My objective is to keep scoring more and more.”

Malen permanent stay at Roma ‘all but done’ as conditions half-met

The financial implications of his form are becoming increasingly straightforward.

Roma’s loan agreement with Aston Villa includes a conditional obligation to buy, with two specific triggers.

The first, requiring Malen to reach 50% of possible appearances, has now been met.

The second condition is tied to Roma finishing in a Champions League position at the end of the season, which currently remains unfulfilled.

However, the club appear entirely unconcerned about the technicalities.

According to reports, Roma have already set aside the €25 million required to purchase Malen outright, on top of the €2 million loan fee already paid, and consider the deal as good as done regardless of how the second condition resolves itself.

For a player who left Villa Park frustrated by a lack of minutes and the inability to play in his preferred centre-forward role, Rome has proven the perfect destination at the perfect moment.