Cologne star Saïd El Mala has told teammates he’s off this summer, with Brentford now offering more than Brighton and Hove Albion.
Sport BILD report that El Mala has told teammates that Brentford are willing to match Cologne’s €50m asking price this summer.
Brentford step in front
The newspaper reports that there is a growing feeling in Cologne’s squad that Saïd El Mala will not be there next season. The 19-year-old is now on the verge of a move to the Premier League.
According to Sport BILD’s information, he has given some teammates in the locker room clear indications that he will be leaving after a year at the club. He has made it clear that there is a club willing to pay Cologne’s €50m asking price.
That club appears to be Brentford. Reports first linked them back in April. The Bees are now on the verge of qualifying for Europe, which has led to a ‘serious move’.
The offer they’ve made is said to be higher than Brighton’s. The winger could earn up to €4m in his first year with the Bees.
Brighton frustration
Brighton, meanwhile, appear to have been left behind despite a year of chasing Saïd El Mala’s signature. Negotiations with Cologne have not progressed.
Their next offer would also be well below the €50m that the German side want. Sporting director Thomas Kessler and squad planner Tim Steidten have not held talks with Brighton’s management about a move.
Indeed, the Seagulls have been left annoyed as neither the player nor his mother Sabrina, who now represents him, have made a clear commitment. Promises were made about negotiations with Cologne, but they never insisted to Cologne that Brighton was their preference.
Now the German side are hoping for a bidding war. Brentford appear willing to spend big to secure a deal. And El Mala is making it clear behind the scenes that the move might be on.
