Manchester City are in the mix to sign 1. FC Köln’s Said El Mala after Brighton attempts, according to Bild.
The winger has starred for the Bundesliga side this season, managing six goals and three assists from 14 league matches.
Two months ago, Sport1 reported Manchester City’s interest in El Mala is concrete.
On November 18th, Sky Deutschland stated Pep Guardiola is a fan of the player, and has been following him. They also stated the Citizens have sent scouts to assess the talent.
Brighton offer way below asking price
Last week, we covered claims from Germany that Tony Bloom is leading Brighton & Hove Albion’s pursuit. They already saw a €20m bid rejected in the summer.
Bild cover Brighton’s failed move and mention Manchester City as one of the 19-year-old’s interested parties.
It’s claimed Guardiola’s side, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are all in the picture to sign the Germany U21 international. He has ruled out a move in the winter market.
Köln sporting director Thomas Kessler insists they have no plans to sell him in January.
When asked whether there’s a pain threshold, he said: “I can be brief: No! Said has a long-term contract and he doesn’t have a release clause. As things stand today, there’s no reason to even consider it.”
Bild report English clubs that have already expressed interest are offering between €30-40m. The details of these teams aren’t mentioned but they’d find it difficult to sign El Mala next month.
The director said that a convincing offer for the German will be taken into account.
“If a club does come along and we, as Köln, have to consider whether it’s worthwhile to take this money now and reinvest it to improve the squad overall at the top level, then we will consider it at some point,” Kessler explained.
According to Bild, the figure should be €50-60m or more. In other words, Manchester City will have to offer at least €50m to sign El Mala.