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- 27 minutes ago
€50m wonderkid responds to Man Utd approach with clear message
Tom Weber
- Updated: 30 Dec 2025 16:17 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Koln wonderkid Said El Mala is giving his suitors, including Manchester United, the cold shoulder as he has a clear plan for his future.
The 19-year-old has been one of the biggest revelations in the Bundesliga this season, netting six goals and providing three assists despite not even being a regular starter for promoted Koln.
El Mala was recently called up to his first senior Germany squad and is being chased by all the top clubs around Europe. Sides in England, in particular, are desperate to snap up the tricky winger.
Current ETV
Said El Mala
F, M (L)
Koln
Said El Mala
F, M (L)
Koln
ETV Range
€19.9M - €24.3M
Koln are convinced that El Mala will eventually command a club-record fee. His price tag has already been bumped up from €35 million to around €50m, but this is unlikely to be the last adjustment if he keeps going on his current trajectory.
Man Utd and other Premier League giants are in ongoing contact with his agency, but neither Koln nor El Mala have any interest in discussing a transfer at present.
El Mala not thinking about a 2026 transfer
For now, the youngster is fully focused on helping Koln avoid relegation. According to his agent Martin Carmona, El Mala is not thinking about a transfer and instead wants to put a stop to the promoted club's recent run of poor results.
“Said feels completely at home in Cologne," Carmona told BILD. "Right now, his only focus is on ending the negative trend of the past few weeks and stabilising the team as soon as possible in the new year. A transfer is not a topic for Said at the moment.”
The report adds that El Mala is giving his suitors the cold shoulder because he is determined to become a superstar at Koln and prove to head coach Lukas Kwasniok that he can trust him week in, week out for 90 minutes.
The coach has been very protective of the youngster and recently handed him just 22 minutes against Union Berlin. He explained after the game that he wanted to start the match with players capable of doing the "dirty work" before later bringing on his "artists."
This comment apparently caused surprise in El Mala's camp because the teenager believes that he is a hard worker and ready to start every game. The winger, it is claimed, will not consider a transfer to a bigger club until he has established himself as an undroppable starter at Koln.
That is why El Mala is not thinking about a move in 2026, permitted, of course, Koln manage to stay in the Bundesliga. He will only begin to consider an exit if Koln get relegated or if the club inform him that they are ready to sell him because they need the money.
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