Manchester City are big fans of FC Cologne winger Said El Mala, according to Bild reporter Tobias Altschaffl.
Speaking on the FC Bayern Insider podcast (quotes via Sport Witness), Altschaffl said that the interest from the Cityzens has been “certified.”
It is believed that more than ten clubs have been in contact with El Mala’s entourage in recent weeks.
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The teenager was reportedly the subject of a €20m (£17.6m) bid from Brighton during the summer transfer window, but the offer was turned down by FC Cologne.
Competition for El Mala is expected to be fierce
Man City and the Seagulls are set to be joined in the race for the 19-year-old by the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
It is not known how much Cologne will demand for El Mala but the number of teams circling means they can pretty much ask for what they want.
The amount of interest is somewhat surprising, considering he has only been playing in the Bundesliga for a relatively short period of time.
What do City fans need to know about the forward?
After being part of several academies, including Borussia Monchengladbach’s, El Mala eventually made his breakthrough at minnows Viktoria Cologne.
He made 11 senior appearances for the German third division side before FC Cologne snapped him up for just €350,000 in the summer of 2024.
The decision was then made to keep El Mala on loan at Viktoria for the subsequent campaign, and that proved to be the right call as he went on to find the back of the net 13 times in 34 matches.
After being recalled in July, the winger became part of FC Cologne’s first team and he has since attracted the attention of scouts with his performances in the Bundesliga.
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here