Shooting star Said El Mala from 1. FC Köln has commented for the first time on the rumors about a move to FC Bayern or Borussia Dortmund.
For the first time since his steep rise, Said El Mala answered questions from journalists on Wednesday in the mixed zone at Geißbockheim.
When asked whether he would stay at 1. FC Köln in the winter, the youngster answered with a clear “yes”.
The attacker continued: “It’s normal when, as a young player, you have a few scorers in the Bundesliga, that several clubs come. I notice that, but it doesn’t affect me. That’s a nice realization and a reward for the performance, but I’m concentrating on FC here – nothing more.”
But El Mala also made it clear that he won’t stay with Effzeh forever. “Everyone wants to be in the Champions League and play in the best club, to achieve the greatest thing they can. That’s what everyone in football works towards,” said the 19-year-old.
El Mala is contractually bound to 1. FC Köln in the long term until 2030. His contract should not contain an exit clause.
The rise of El Mala is meteoric. Before the season he played for Viktoria Köln in the 3rd division, now he is shaking up the Bundesliga. In the current season there are five goals and three assists after twelve league games.
His strong performances recently earned El Mala a nomination from national coach Julian Nagelsmann. However, the shooting star was not used and was instead sent back to the U21 national team.
FC Bayern and BVB interested in El Mala?
El Mala has already been traded to numerous top European clubs. In addition to FC Bayern and BVB, FC Barcelona, FC Chelsea and Manchester City are said to be interested.
Bayern’s sporting director Christoph Freund recently made no secret of the fact that Munich is interested in a player like El Mala. “He’s doing really well, has a high pace and is developing splendidly,” said the Austrian on “Sky”.
According to the “Bild” newspaper, 1. FC Cologne is not thinking about selling its top talent until next summer at the earliest and would only be willing to talk about a transfer fee of 50 or 60 million euros.