Roma Targets El Mala Amid Bundesliga Interest

AS Roma have joined the chase for Said El Mala, stepping into a transfer market that is starting to revolve around the 19-year-old Cologne winger – even as the player himself looks in a different direction.

According to Geissblog, Roma have put El Mala on their shortlist for the left flank and are prepared to go close to Cologne’s €50 million asking price. The Giallorossi have already tested those financial waters: they were recently linked with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya at around €45 million, a clear indication that the club are ready to invest heavily in a young attacking talent.

The money, then, is not the issue in Rome. The destination might be.

Sky reports that El Mala, already capped seven times for Germany’s Under-21s, does not currently view Serie A as the next step in his career. For Roma, that is the key obstacle: they can meet Cologne’s valuation, but convincing the teenager to swap the Bundesliga for Italy is a different battle entirely.

Dortmund deal collapses amid anger in Cologne

One door has already slammed shut. A move to Borussia Dortmund, once seen as a logical next rung on the ladder, is now described as definitively off.

Geissblog reports that Cologne were unhappy with both the financial package on offer and, even more, with Dortmund’s behaviour during talks. At the Geißbockheim, frustration hardened into a clear decision.

Cologne were “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 outlet quotes verbatim. That line cut deep. Internally, the club agreed to break off all negotiations with Dortmund immediately, ending any prospect of El Mala pulling on the Black and Yellow shirt in the near future.

Leipzig hesitate as price tag bites

With Dortmund out, the field inside Germany has thinned dramatically. In the Bundesliga, only RB Leipzig are still regarded as a realistic suitor.

Even there, the numbers are causing hesitation. As per Geissblog, Leipzig have informed 1. FC Cologne that they neither can nor want to meet the current €50 million asking price. The stance is firm for now.

A twist remains possible. Leipzig’s position could change if they generate significant funds through the sale of Yan Diomande. Only a sizeable outgoing transfer would give them the financial room to return to the table for El Mala and mount a serious push.

Until then, Roma’s apparent willingness to pay stands in contrast to Leipzig’s caution – but the Italian club still have to win over the player himself.

El Mala answers noise with goals

While executives argue over valuations and conduct, El Mala is doing the one thing he can fully control: performing.

In Thursday’s 8-0 pre-season win over Bergisch Gladbach, the 19-year-old found the net for the first time in the current campaign, a small but pointed reminder of why his name sits on so many lists across Europe.

Cologne’s stance is clear, the market is circling, and one of Germany’s most highly regarded young attackers continues to grow. The question now is not whether there will be a major move in his future, but which club will finally match both Cologne’s price and El Mala’s own ambitions.