Few saw this coming: has Said El Mala performed a spectacular U-turn?

According to the report, 1. FC Köln are once again seriously weighing a scenario that had recently seemed unlikely. Sport1 had also speculated about a possible U-turn by El Malas. The reason is simple: no new offer currently matches both the Geißböcke's asking price and the youngster's sporting ambitions.

FC Brentford had reportedly tabled the requested 50 million euros for the 19-year-old, and all parties appeared to have agreed. At the last moment, however, El Malas changed his mind. His mother, now the player's principal advisor, pulled the plug on the move. Bild claims she did not believe the Premier League club was the right step for her son. According to Express, the FC management was left "stunned" by the collapse. 

English reports link Liverpool, Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs to El Mala, yet he is not a top priority for any of them. A move within the Bundesliga is also considered unlikely due to the transfer fee involved, although both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have reportedly monitored him in the past. 

El Mala remains under contract with Cologne until 2030, and while staying put would be a coup for the club, he would earn significantly less than he could in England. Brentford are reported to have offered him an annual salary of more than four million euros.

For Cologne, retaining El Mala would be a major coup: his 18 goal contributions in 34 matches, several from the bench, were crucial in helping the promoted side avoid immediate relegation. That form prompted calls for his inclusion in Germany's World Cup squad. The calls grew louder after Lennart Karl's injury, yet national coach Julian Nagelsmann ultimately chose Assan Ouedraogo from RB Leipzig, opting for a different profile rather than a like-for-like replacement on the wing.