Roma Pursues Said El Mala Despite Player's Reluctance
AS Roma have identified their next big swing in the transfer market. The Giallorossi want a new left winger and, according to Geissblog, 1. FC Cologne’s 19-year-old talent Said El Mala is firmly on their shortlist.
This isn’t a casual enquiry. Roma are said to be willing to meet Cologne’s €50 million asking price, a figure that underlines how aggressively the club is prepared to move in this window. They were recently linked with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya at around €45 million, a negotiation that already hinted at a willingness to push towards the top end of their budget for the right attacking profile.
El Mala clearly fits that profile. Whether Roma fit his is another story.
El Mala not convinced by Serie A
According to Sky, the seven-time Germany Under-21 international does not currently picture his immediate future in Serie A. The Italian option is on the table financially, but not in the player’s mind. For Roma, that’s the obstacle money cannot simply bulldoze.
So while the Giallorossi weigh up a major outlay and consider how El Mala might slot into their left flank, the player himself is looking elsewhere. That tension between club ambition and player preference is shaping his market.
Dortmund deal collapses amid anger in Cologne
One destination has already been ruled out. A move to Borussia Dortmund now appears to be definitively off.
Geissblog reports that Cologne found Dortmund’s financial offer inadequate. That alone might have stalled talks. What really ignited frustration at the Geißbockheim, though, was the way the Black and Yellows allegedly conducted themselves during the process.
Cologne were, in their own words, “not in agreement with the manner in which Dortmund are said to have tried to influence the player in order to make a move more likely”. The reaction was swift. Internally, the club decided to cut off negotiations with Dortmund immediately. No slow fade, no drawn-out brinkmanship. Just a hard stop.
Leipzig left standing – but short of cash
With Dortmund out of the picture and El Mala cool on Italy, the Bundesliga field has thinned dramatically. In Germany, only RB Leipzig are now said to remain as a realistic suitor.
Even that comes with a heavy asterisk. According to Geissblog, Leipzig have already informed Cologne that they neither can nor want to meet the €50 million price tag at this stage. For a club that usually trades smartly and buys with resale in mind, it is a steep number.
The only scenario that could reopen the door is a major outgoing. If Leipzig manage to raise significant funds through the sale of Yan Diomande, a renewed push for El Mala could follow. Until then, their interest sits in a holding pattern, trapped between admiration and arithmetic.
Performing while the rumours swirl
While the market debates his value, El Mala is doing the simplest thing a young attacker can do: he is performing.
In Thursday’s 8-0 pre-season win over Bergisch Gladbach, the 19-year-old scored his first goal of the current campaign, a reminder of why clubs with very different budgets and ambitions are circling. It was only a friendly, but every touch, every run, every finish feeds into the growing sense that Cologne are right to stand firm on their valuation.
Roma are ready to pay. Leipzig are waiting for a sale. Dortmund are out, and Cologne are unapologetically in control.
The next move belongs to El Mala – and to whichever club is bold enough, and rich enough, to meet both his price and his ambitions.
