Chelsea join race to complete record transfer for breakout wonderkid

Tom Weber

25 Oct 2025 10:00 CDT
3 min read

Chelsea are the latest European giants to be linked with a move for breakout Koln starlet Said El Mala.

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The Germany youth international is enjoying a fairytale start to the season. El Mala was unplayable at the U21 European Championship in the summer, and he has carried this form into his first Bundesliga season with Koln.

Head coach Lukas Kwasniok has tried to do everything in his power to protect the 19-year-old and keep a lid on the hype surrounding him, but the excitement around the young winger is contagious.

Indeed, even the manager was forced to admit recently that Koln will sell El Mala 'for a lot of money' in the future because of his prodigious talent. In seven appearances this season, the teenager has netted three goals and provided one assist.

A fearless dribbler, El Mala is difficult to stop when he runs at a defence with pace. His unpredictability and decisiveness make him a nightmare to deal with for opponents.

Chelsea enter El Mala race

According to Sport1, Chelsea are now the latest club to register their interest in the 19-year-old. El Mala is said to be valued at around €50 million (£43.68m) by Koln, so a sale would obliterate the club-record €29m (£25m) they received for Anthony Modeste in 2018.

Brighton attempted to sign him for €15m (£13.1m) in the summer, but Koln rejected the approach out of hand in the knowledge that the youngster's value would skyrocket this season.

Bayern are known to be admirers of El Mala, while a whole host of clubs in England and Italy have been linked, with Chelsea now also joining his long list of admirers.

Despite the persistent media speculation, Koln are not going to be tempted into a rash sale in January. They are planning to keep the youngster at least until the summer, and it is understood that the player and his camp are loving life right now and will not push for an exit.

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