U-turn
©IMAGO
Published on June 4th, 2026 at 2:22 p.m., last updated at 7:43 p.m.
Said El Mala’s record transfer from 1. FC Köln to FC Brentford has probably collapsed. After reports that the youngster could move to the Londoners because of an offer acceptable to FC, it was reported by “Bild” and “Sky” in the evening that El Mala’s mother and advisor, who led the negotiations with the Bees, had canceled the Premier League club. Brentford is not the right step.
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According to previous reports, Cologne’s sports director Thomas Kessler had already decided to accept the offer for the left winger. This should amount to a 50 million euro package. A basic fee of 45 million euros is being discussed, as well as smaller, easily achievable bonuses and future income from a resale share of 15 percent. Never before in the club’s history have the Cologne team made so much money from a player sale. The most expensive departure to date is Anthony Modeste at 29 million euros. It would also be a record investment for Brentford – the most expensive additions to date were Dango Ouattara for 42.8 million euros and Igor Thiago for 33 million euros.
The approval of El Mala’s representative was not previously seen as a hurdle, as the player is said to have already rejected the offer. At Brentford, the shooting star would have received a contract until 2030 and would have earned a fixed salary of over 4 million euros in the future.
1. FC Köln’s El Mala among big market value winners
El Mala was one of the big winners in the latest Bundesliga update, increasing its market value by 10 million euros to 45 million euros – despite not being nominated for the World Cup. This makes him one of the ten most valuable strikers in the world under the age of 19. Brentford was considered a suitable club for El Mala to demonstrate its skills in an even stronger league. In 2024/25 he scored 13 goals and prepared five goals in the third division. Thanks to the goal against FC Bayern on the last matchday, he repeated these numbers exactly in the Bundesliga. There have only been two teenagers in Europe’s top leagues who have been involved in more goals, and they are Yan Diomande (Leipzig) and Lamine Yamal (Barça).
For months Brighton was considered the biggest interested party, but the club coached by Fabian Hürzeler is said to have been unwilling to meet Cologne’s transfer demands.