Malen could have joined Napoli: how the Roma move happened

Donyell Malen could have been in Napoli's attack tonight. Instead, the Dutch striker is wearing the Roma shirt under Gian Piero Gasperini.

According to Il Mattino, Napoli had put Malen on their target list in the January transfer window. Lorenzo Lucca's loan move and the approaching end of Romelu Lukaku's spell at Napoli pushed the club to look for a new striker.

However, the interest never developed into a formal negotiation. Napoli could not act because of the restrictions placed on transfer activity in the winter window. Roma stepped in and signed the player from Aston Villa with a 2 million euro loan fee and a 25 million euro purchase option.

Roma have profited greatly from the move. Malen has scored six goals in Serie A this season, placing him third among the league's top scorers in that category behind Varela and Raimondo. He also scored twice in last week's Champions League match, a 4-3 defeat to Real Madrid.

At Napoli, Rasmus Højlund's figures look less impressive. Since joining, the Danish striker has scored only two goals in seven league matches. Massimiliano Allegri has said he is not worried about the striker's numbers as long as the team keeps winning.

Tonight's match gives Højlund a chance to answer his critics. Waiting for him is Malen, the player Napoli missed out on.