Chelsea have been told that they still have a chance to beat Brighton to the signing of Koln wonderkid Said El Mala.
The 19-year-old is expected to be on his way to the Premier League this summer. El Mala has been the biggest revelation of the Bundesliga season after starring for promoted Koln.
The tricky winger has scored an impressive 11 goals, while also providing four assists. He is undoubtedly the most talented player Koln have had since club legend Lukas Podolski.
Unsurprisingly, then, transfer speculation has been rampant, especially in the wake of the club’s descent down the table. The promoted outfit enjoyed a great start to the season, but good results have been increasingly hard to come by.
The sacking of Lukas Kwasniok, who was so protective of El Mala that it became overbearing, has given some Koln fans hope that the wonderkid could stay for another season. However, it is believed that Koln are now actively trying to sell because they need the money.
El Mala transfer: The state of play
Despite this stance, the Bundesliga side won’t let El Mala go cheaply. They want a club-record fee in the region of €50 million for their golden boy, and this has given Chelsea a chance to make a move.
The Blues have been monitoring El Mala for several months, but it was thought that they would lose out to Brighton in the race to sign him. The Seagulls have been incredibly persistent in courting the youngster.
They already placed a bid for him after his outstanding U21 European Championship campaign last summer, before returning with a fresh offer in January. They have also made it clear to El Mala that they will sign his older brother Malek to make the transition to English football easier.
However, there is still no club-to-club agreement with Koln because Brighton are simply not willing to pay €50m for El Mala. Such a fee would make him their most expensive signing ever.
As a result, Chelsea are still in with a chance, according to BILD reporter Christian Falk. “It is true [that] Brighton are in the lead for Said El Mala,” the journalist explained. “But it could be that other interested clubs still have a chance in this race, like Newcastle and Chelsea.
“That’s because the Brighton offer was about €35m plus €4m in add-ons, and Cologne want €50m. If they don’t get this money, perhaps they’ll be open to talking with Chelsea again.
“This could happen. At the moment, the way is clear – El Mala looks very likely to be playing Premier League football next season. Now, we have to see whether he ends up at Brighton, which is the current plan, or if FC Koln say it won’t work because of the money on the table.”
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