The long race for Said El Mala’s signature may be set for another turn, with Tottenham Hotspur now among the contenders.
Sport BILD report that there ‘indications’ that Tottenham ‘will soon make a move’ for the highly rated 19-year-old winger.
Tottenham ready
The newspaper explains that while Said El Mala’s long gestating departure from Cologne this summer is on hold, that may not be the case for now.
He recently turned down a move to Brentford, who were ready to pay the €50m required to get him. The belief is that his family, specifically his mother acting as his agent, are waiting for a better offer to arrive. There had been talk of Chelsea.
Instead, it may be Tottenham that are lurking. According to SportBILD, there are indications that Spurs will soon make a move for the winger.
Roberto de Zerbi is reported to be ‘very pleased’ with the scouting reports that he’s received on the Bundesliga’s rising star. The belief is that El Mala could be a key component in the rebuild he is working on this summer.
Cologne waiting for record sale
Cologne, for their part, are not putting an internal deadline on the matter. This will be the biggest transfer in their history, and they want to ensure it goes smoothly.
It could even be finalised shortly before the transfer window closes. Although the German club have indicated they would prefer that not to be the case.
They’re now waiting for new suitors to make their bids after El Mala and his family decided to turn Brentford down. They’ve insisted that the Bees were simply not the right fit for the player.
Whether they would consider Tottenham as more of an attractive prospect, remains to be seen. That will be determined by Sabrina El Mala. She has become a central player in her son’s future over the last few months.
She appears to be holding on to the reins tightly. Now it may be Tottenham’s turn to test that grip.
