The proposed record transfer has reportedly collapsed. Said El Mala has scuppered 1. FC Köln's plans

The proposed deal valued El Mala at €45m up front, with a further €5m in easily attainable add-ons. It also included a 15% sell-on clause, a contract until 2030, and a €4m-per-year salary.

Both clubs had set a deadline for Friday, and the Bees were confident of a positive reply from the Cathedral City side. However, the player's camp has since changed its stance: El Mala's mother is said to be handling the talks with Brentford, who are reported to be sweetening the deal with an XXL commission for the family. According to Sky, the family has now scuppered the record-breaking move and turned Brentford down. The reason: El Mala may be holding out for an offer from a bigger club. His future is now once again "completely up in the air".

The transfer would have set records for both clubs: El Mala was set to replace Anthony Modeste as 1. FC Köln's all-time highest sale (€29m to TJ Quanjian in 2018), while he would have eclipsed Dango Ouattara as Brentford's biggest signing (€42.8m from AFC Bournemouth).

It remains unclear whether the future of Said's brother, Malek El Mala, influenced the collapsed negotiations. The pair are close and live together. They moved from Viktoria Köln to Effzeh as a twin transfer. However, Malek El Mala currently features only for the club's second string in the Regionalliga West. Last season he scored five goals in 13 appearances, but he was sidelined for almost six months with a muscle tear. 

Their joint career planning already cost Borussia Dortmund a chance to sign Said in 2024, as the club refused to include Malek in the deal. "That was the end of it for me," he told 11Freunde in a joint interview. Said is convinced that his older brother is ready for bigger challenges: "I am one hundred per cent sure that Malek will follow the same path."

El Mala's impressive Bundesliga debut had drawn interest from more suitors than just the Bees. Bayern Munich were also credited with a long-standing interest in the Krefeld-born forward. Brighton & Hove Albion, led by German coach Fabian Hürzeler, later emerged as clear favourites to secure the Krefeld-born forward, but the Seagulls were reportedly unwilling to meet 1. FC Köln's €50 million valuation, with their own limit set at just €35 million.

El Mala was the club's standout performer as they battled relegation, starting all 34 Bundesliga matches and contributing 13 goals and five assists. As the campaign wore on, though, then-coach Lukas Kwasniok's handling of the youngster sparked controversy: to many observers' bewilderment, the 19-year-old was often used as a substitute. When Kwasniok departed in March, El Mala posted a celebratory video with strike partner Ragnar Ache. 

Under Kwasniok's successor, René Wagner, El Mala started every remaining Bundesliga match and added three more goals. Despite that strong finish, he was left out of Germany's World Cup squad. 

"He had a great second half of the season, scored well," national coach Julian Nagelsmann said at the May squad announcement, before outlining why he ultimately left El Mala out. "Of course, he also fits in very well with Cologne's style of play. The question was: is he ready for our style of play at a different attacking level? If you look at the heatmap in Cologne, it's close to their own goal."