Said El Mala in action for FC Koln against Bayern Munich (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
FC Koln forward Said El Mala has reportedly informed Brentford that he does not want to join them this summer, giving hope to Chelsea.
El Mala has been linked with Chelsea on numerous occasions, with our colleague Christian Falk recently writing about the young German winger’s future in his CF Bayern Insider column.
Falk also mentioned Brighton as suitors for El Mala, though it looked like he could be too expensive for the Seagulls.
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Now the latest from Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg is that El Mala himself has rejected an offer to join Brentford, with the player and his family informing the Bees that they’re not interested in the move…
?? BREAKING | Said El Mala and his family have officially informed Brentford now that they do not want to join the club.
This comes despite Brentford’s improved offer of around €50m (€45m fixed plus €5m add-ons), which 1. FC Köln were prepared to accept. #Effzeh
As always… pic.twitter.com/JJGFDA1vAq
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 4, 2026
“Said El Mala and his family have officially informed Brentford now that they do not want to join the club. This comes despite Brentford’s improved offer of around €50m (€45m fixed plus €5m add-ons), which 1. FC Köln were prepared to accept,” Plettenberg posted on X.
He added: “As always reported, El Mala never had an agreement with Brentford. El Mala’s future is now completely open again.”
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
Should Chelsea swoop for Said El Mala transfer?
This update could be significant for Chelsea, with El Mala perhaps holding out for a more interesting offer than clubs like Brighton and Brentford.
The talented 19-year-old…
..
