Brighton and Hove Albion’s written offer for Cologne star Said El-Mala was worth €25-26m up front, and a healthy wage packet too.
That’s according to Sky Germany. The outlet provide their own details on Brighton’s recent attempt to get the winger ahead of the competition.
Sport Witness have been covering Brighton’s interest in El-Mala since last summer. The Seagulls are pushing to sign the Bundesliga’s breakout star amid growing competition.
They were unsuccessful in attempts in the summer but returned in the January transfer window with a second attempt. Cologne rejected their attempts, but Brighton were unperturbed.
The Premier League side want to finalise the deal before the summer. Sport Witness have covered their efforts on that front, with a report on the 11th explaining their double bid for Said and his brother, Malek.
Brighton offer €25-26m
Now Sky offer their own information. Brighton were ready to pay up to €30m for the 19-year-old rising star in January.
That would have included loaning him back to Köln for the second half of the season.
A transfer fee of around €25-26m would have been guaranteed. It would have also included a 10% sell on clause, while El Mala would have earned up to €3.5m gross per season. This information has also been reported by Sport Bild.
The second push included offering El-Mala a long-term contract alongside his brother. However, Cologne sporting director Thomas Kessler didn’t even let negotiations before. He rejected Brighton’s offer outright.
Bayern Munich competition
According to Sky, Cologne told El Mala he was not for sale in January because they did not want to cause unrest in the squad.
The German side see him as crucial in the fight against relegation. If a sale is to happen, they would prefer it to happen in the summer.
Thus, Brighton are working on that. But internally, Cologne believe even more lucrative offers could arrive. They have Bayern Munich in their sights. The German champions see El Mala as a potential back up to Luis Diaz.
El Mala, for his part, wants to move in the summer if his current situation doesn’t change. He’s fallen out with manager Lukas Kwasniok and if that doesn’t change, he wants out. Brighton are ready to welcome to him England.