One of the many intriguing transfer sagas of the summer has taken another twist, with German side FC Koln admitting they have received no concrete approach from either Liverpool or Newcastle United for their prized attacking asset, despite rumours of interest from both Premier League clubs continuing to circulate.
According to German outlet Express, those in charge at the Bundesliga club have not received any formal offers and have no information to suggest a deal is imminent.
While the player’s name has been linked with moves to England in recent weeks, Koln’s position is clear: as far as they are concerned, nothing concrete exists on either front.
19 year old winger Said El Mala is the exciting player at the centre of the speculation, who announced himself to the Bundesliga last season with a performance level that belied his age and sent scouts across Europe scrambling to run the rule over him.
Born in Krefeld, and standing at 1.87 metres, El Mala is an unusual physical specimen for a modern winger, combining elite acceleration and agility with a frame that gives him real leverage in one on one situations.
Playing primarily on the left for Koln, he scored 13 goals and contributed 4 assists in 34 Bundesliga appearances last season, averaging a goal every 151 minutes and registering 29 shots on target across the campaign.
He also scored against FC Bayern Munich, a moment that underlined his ability to perform against the very best.
His rise has been rapid.
Released by Borussia Mönchengladbach at 14, he rebuilt his career through TSV Meerbusch and Viktoria Köln, where he scored 13 goals in 32 games in the 3. Liga and was named Newcomer of the Season.
FC Koln bought him permanently and handed him his Bundesliga opportunity last summer, and he repaid that faith emphatically, earning the Fritz Walter Medal in Silver and finishing as top scorer at the 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship along the way.
The transfer saga took its most dramatic turn earlier this month when Koln accepted a £50 million package from Brentford, only for the deal to collapse at the final hurdle.
El Mala’s mother, who acts as his primary representative, refused to grant consent before Brentford’s deadline expired, leaving Koln’s sporting director Thomas Kessler frustrated and the club without the funds they had been counting on to reshape their squad this summer.
Since then, Express reports that Koln have held further discussions with the player’s family in an attempt to identify the right destination, but the club are growing concerned about the lack of suitors coming forward with firm proposals.
Rumours linking Liverpool and Newcastle to El Mala have resurfaced, but according to the report, neither club has made any approach that Köln are aware of.
For now, the 19 year old remains at Köln with his future unresolved, and the club can only hope that interest from England, whether from Liverpool, Newcastle, or elsewhere, materialises into something concrete before the window closes.