Brentford’s €45m offer for Saïd El Mala includes conditions to push the transfer through as quickly as possible.
BILD and Sport BILD cover the 19-year-old winger today a Brentford’s attempts to push through a deal before the competition arrives on the scene.
Brentford offer has a deadline
BILD kick things off, reporting that Brentford are ‘entering the final stretch’ for the Cologne superstar. They’ve made a written offer for the winger.
Cologne’s sporting director Thomas Kessler (40) confirmed on Tuesday: “We have received an offer, which we are considering.” He did not specifically mention Brentford.
But according to BILD’s information, the written offer reportedly includes a deadline. If no agreement is reached within a few days, the Bees intend to withdraw from the race.
SportBILD go into a little bit more detail. They say that ‘things are getting serious’ around the Cologne winger. Brentford are very much in the final stretch of the race for his signature.
They’ve made a written offer, which has been received by the Rhineland club. This offer was finalised and sent over the weekend. Now they intend to put pressure on Cologne to accept it.
€40m fee plus €5m bonuses
The offer is close to Cologne’s €50m asking price. It’s a €40m base fee, with €5m in ‘easily achievable’ bonuses added on. The German side can easily expect to receive 45m from the deal overall.
They would also receive a 15% share of any future transfer fee. No other club, including long-term suitors Brighton, have gotten close. The Seagulls wanted to submit an offer of €35m but never did it officially. Their only written offer was €28m back in January.
Brentford want to avoid a drawn-out negotiation like the one Brighton have founds themselves stuck in over the last year. If an agreement can’t be reached in a few days, they will withdraw and focus on alternative candidates. Cologne will try to get a better deal, though.
The player, meanwhile, is set for a major pay rise. Brentford are offering him more money than Brighton. The Seagulls were offering him €4m a year in his first year.
Now it’s a case of him, his mother, who is refusing to work with an agency, and Cologne deciding if they want the deal. Brentford are offering everything they want, but they won’t wait around for it to be accepted.