Said El Mala has reportedly agreed on terms with Brighton to join the club this summer.
The forward has been heavily linked with a move to the Amex Stadium over the past 12 months, with FC Koln even rejecting an approach from the Seagulls before he had made his first-team debut for them.
Brighton made a renewed push during the January transfer window with a £25million offer being rejected by the Bundesliga outfit, but Lukas Kwasniok’s side made it clear that they would not part ways with their No. 13 mid-season.
Talks do not appear to have fizzled out since those talks though, and El Mala’s recent decision to be represented by his parents, Mohammed and Sabrina, seems to have accelerated negotiations on the player side.
According to BILD, the versatile forward and his family have given the ‘green light’ for a move to Brighton this summer.
El Mala has also agreed on terms with Brighton on a five-year contract, plus bonuses. The deal in place would see him earn around £17.2m in total across those campaigns.
FC Koln have previously insisted that they are in no rush to sell the playmaker, but it is claimed that negotiations are now ongoing between the two clubs over a deal worth £30.2m, plus add-ons. The German side are also pushing for a sell-on clause.
Brighton are willing to table an offer in that region, and they would also like to get a deal over the line for Said’s sibling, Malek El Mala. The youngster currently plays for FC Koln’s Under-21s and, similarly, he recently left his agency in order to be represented by his parents.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle have all been linked with Said in recent weeks, but Brighton’s insistence on signing the brothers as a pair looks to have been a key differential.
The Seagulls have a pathway in place for Malek if he were to head to England, which would involve him initially playing in Premier League 2 with a view to him eventually breaking into the first team.