Said El Mala
COLOGNE, GERMANY – 17 January, 2026: Said El Mala, Danny da Costa, 1.Bundesliga football match 1. FC Koeln vs 1. FSV Mainz 05 at Rhein Energie Stadion
Brighton & Hove Albion face competition from Tottenham Hotspur and others in the race for 1. FC Köln’s Said El Mala.
The Seagulls already tried to bring the winger to the Premier League. Brighton first made an attempt last summer and returned in the winter market with a new offer.
However, the Bundesliga side turned it down, and Brighton are still chasing the 19-year-old for the summer. They aren’t alone as Tottenham are of the one of the clubs chasing him.
In his debut season in the top flight, El Mala has impressed so far, managing nine goals and three assists so far. To give an idea of his development, below is the table for his Bundesliga stats per game.
|Bundesliga Stats||
|---|
|Expected Goals per season|7.1|
|Expected Assists per season|1.82|
|Accurate passes|7.4|
|Accurate crosses|0.3|
|Shots on target|0.8|
|Goal conversion|18%|
|Successful dribbles|1.3|
El Mala’s form and potential make him one of the sought after players in the market. The Seagulls are aware of his qualities and Spurs seem to challenge them for his signature.
Tottenham in tussle with Brighton
Regional newspaper Kölnische Rundschau cover the latest on the north London club when reporting on Fabian Hürzeler’s side.
On Wednesday, Sport Witness relayed news Brighton have an agreement in principle with his new agents, who are his parents, and will make a €35m offer.
However, FC Köln are reacting calmly to this claim because €35m won’t be sufficient to acquire his services. There’s no knowledge of Brighton’s offer or El Mala’s commitment to The Amex club.
The German club now value their star at €40m and the price could rise further if he were to receive a senior call-up and make it to the World Cup.
Brighton aren’t alone as Kölnische Rundschau state Tottenham and Chelsea are also keen.
Another newspaper, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, states Köln have no knowledge of Brighton’s offer and his starting price is €40m.
There’s no mention of Spurs, but the newspaper insists the player is ‘likely to transfer to England this summer.’
To sum it up, Brighton would face a battle with Tottenham and at least €40m is needed to sign El Mala.
Youngster’s contract, value and agent info
Regarding his agents, KST state: ‘The family established El Mala Vermögensverwaltungs KG, a limited partnership registered in the commercial register, based in Krefeld. Sabrina El Mala is the general partner, with the brothers as shareholders. A Krefeld-based lawyer specialising in agricultural law will be consulted during the contract review, an unusual choice for a multi-million euro deal in professional football.’
The Germany U21 international joined the club from Viktoria Köln in June 2024 and spent the last season on loan with the latter.
On his return to his parent club, FC Köln extended his contract [in July 2025] until 2030.
Transfermarkt now value him at €40m, which is what the Bundesliga side are demanding.
🇦🇷 Cristian Romero | Respect and affection for Tottenham
🤍 Defender quizzed on transfer – Changes angle
💬 Explains feelings for Spurs, but doesn’t rule out summer move away… 👇https://t.co/HvSTngEh6z #thfc #coys
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 19, 2026