Man Utd and Chelsea locked in race for ‘one in a million’ Bundesliga breakout sensation

Robin Bairner

5 Dec 2025 08:22 GMT
6 min read

Said El Mala has been the Bundesliga’s breakout star this season, with the Koln attacker attracting interest from Chelsea and Manchester United thanks to his exploits.

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The 19-year-old has earned favourable comparisons to Liverpool star Florian Wirtz because of the impact he has made in the Bundesliga, scoring five goals and generating three assists in only 501 minutes of action.

As a result, El Mala’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has shot up to €17.7 million having been around €1.8m at the end of last season.

Current ETV

Said El Mala

F, M (L)

Koln

Said El Mala

F, M (L)

Koln

ETV Range

€15.9M - €19.4M

The teenage sensation has revealed the rising star’s January transfer plans.

Asked by Sky Sport Deutschland if he will stay with Koln, he replied with an emphatic: “Yes!”

El Mala is, however, aware of interest, with Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund likely to offer competition to Chelsea and Man Utd for his signature.

“It’s normal that when you have a few goal contributions as a young player in the Bundesliga, several clubs come in. That’s true. But it doesn’t bother me. It’s a nice recognition of my performances, but I’m fully focused on Koln,” he added.

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Said El Mala: A unique talent

European football expert Andy Brassell has explained why El Mala has caught the eye of Manchester United and Chelsea, describing the player as a ‘one in a million’ talent.

“He's one in a million. So he's one of those players,” he explained on TalkSport.

“It's so easy for him to win you over because he's such a natural, because he's got such confidence.

“You look at him stepping up in the clutch moments. Koln were staring down the barrel of their third successive Bundesliga defeat at the weekend at Werder Bremen, and he really dragged them back into the game single-handedly in the closing stages.”

Man Utd the ‘most sensible’ transfer option

Brassell also commented on the transfer prospects of the teenager, suggesting that a move to Man Utd could be his best option next summer.

“With the confidence that El Mala has got, with the way he steps up to every level and looks like he's ready for it, I wouldn't be surprised if he went at the end of the season, to be honest. Which would be an enormous shame for FC Koln and their supporters,” Brassell said.

“If he continues to play the way he's playing, some offers that they won't be able to refuse will turn up and then the inevitable will happen.

“You don't really look at Manchester United and say there is a great place for a young player to develop. But if you're looking at where he would fit logically, United is the most sensible one out of those, I think.

“Liverpool are obviously in a state of flux at the moment, and you wonder how much football he would actually play there.

“Man City have wide players absolutely to die for at the moment. So you wonder how much he would play there.”

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