Brighton and Hove Albion face competition from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund for Cologne rising star Said El Mala.
That’s according to Sky Germany, who have their own take on the youngster today. A report earlier today from BILD stated a €20m Brighton bid had already been ignored by Cologne this summer.
Sky say El Mala is currently locked to a deal until 2030. It doesn’t include a release clause. That was secured this summer after sporting director Thomas Kessler rejected ‘lucrative offers’ from Brighton and Southampton.
That’s not put off the suitors. Teams in Germany and across Europe are watching El Mala already. Bayern and Borussia Dortmund are among the interested parties. Brighton won’t be going anywhere either.
A move in January is not on the cards. El Mala doesn’t want that and neither do Cologne. Next summer will be a different story. Cologne would demand at least €35m but some internally are talking of €50m. The other report today had them even aiming for an ambitious €60m.
Whether Brighton would ever go that high, remains to be seen. They’ve already seen one bid rejected and now face competition from Germany’s elite if they return.