Chelsea make contact to sign £30m forward ahead of Premier League rival

Chelsea have approached Koln to discuss a possible transfer deal for Said El Mala, according to reports in Germany.

El Mala is enjoying an eye-catching breakout season in the Bundesliga, racking up ten goals and four assists in a struggling Koln team languishing down in 15th in the table.

The 19-year-old winger has made a seamless transition into German top-flight football after competing in the third-tier with Viktoria Koln only last season.

So meteoric has El Mala’s rise been that he earned his first ever senior Germany call-up for the side’s final World Cup qualifying matches against Luxembourg and Slovakia in November.

However, there is mounting uncertainty and speculation surrounding El Mala’s future at Koln, with top clubs across European football alerted to the forward’s barnstorming form.

According to German newspaper Bild, there have been a number phone calls behind the scenes between Brighton and Koln’s new sporting director, Tim Steidten, over the last few days.

Brighton are ‘increasing the pressure’ and ‘pushing for final talks’ in their long-running pursuit of El Mala, which stretches back as far as last summer.

Koln are said to be relaxed about the situation, though, intent on developing a clear strategy before making any knee-jerk decisions regarding El Mala’s potential exit.

The subject of El Mala’s future came to the fore again recently after he – and his brother Malek – brought their collaboration with their previous representatives to an end.

The youngster will now be represented by his parents Sabrina and Mohammed. As a result, ‘several’ English teams made contact with Steidten to reaffirm their interest, including Chelsea.

Brighton have ‘one advantage’ in the transfer race, though, in that they have already received the green light in talks with El Mala’s mother Sabrina, who has taken on the role of her son’s chief advisor.

Brighton are expected to make a final offer of €35million (£30.3m) plus bonuses for the highly rated teenager in due course.

The report claims the Seagulls’ interest in signing both brothers could hold significant weight in what has become a hotly contested transfer race.

Manchester United and Newcastle have also been tentatively linked with the young attacker in recent weeks and months.

Both El Mala and his elder sibling Malek, 20, are contracted to Koln until June 2030. Neither player has a release clause in their respective deal at RheinEnergieSTADION.

In a recent interview with Express.de, Koln’s managing director of sport, Thomas Kessler, said it was no surprise that the younger El Mala had begun to attract big names with his ‘quality’.

‘As a rule, I do not comment on speculation like that in detail,’ Kessler said when pressed on recent rumours surrounding El Mala.

‘What matters to us is that Said has made very positive progress in a short time and has contributed significantly to our season so far with his performances.

‘He brings quality to the pitch week after week and has earned this attention through hard work.’

Kessler said the club would be providing ‘close support’ to ensure El Mala’s feet remain firmly on the ground while the teen was still in the infancy of his career.

‘It is important for us to closely support him,’ he added.

‘We must provide him with stability and take the next steps together so that he continues to help us in the second half of the season.’

He went on: ‘We deliberately tied Said to the club on a long-term basis before the season because we are convinced of his development and have a clear plan for him.

‘At the same time, it is part of our business to deal with market-related matters. We do this seriously and with the necessary calm.

‘For us, the focus is on Said being an important part of our sporting concept and we expect that he will continue his path with Koln.’

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