Man City set sights on £35m-valued sensation, Pep Guardiola is ‘impressed’
Man City are closely watching FC Koln starlet Said El Mala with boss Pep Guardiola known to be a fan of his talents.
Said El Mala has been a breakout star in the Bundesliga this season after impressing last term out on loan in the third-tier.
The 19-year-old winger has registered four goals and an assist in 10 top-flight appearances so far to attract attention from some of the world’s biggest clubs.
Football Insider revealed earlier this month that Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea are keeping tabs on El Mala after his strong start to the campaign.
They have now been joined by Man City, though, and Pep Guardiola could hold the key to signing him ahead of the competition soon.
Guardiola likes El Mala as City scouts watch him live
Sky Sport Germany have reported that Man City boss Guardiola is “impressed” by Koln starlet El Mala and is keeping a close eye on him ahead of the January window.
The Catalan boss is known to have watched several videos and highlights of the Germany under-21 international, while City scouts were recently at Koln games to take a better look at him in the flesh.
Signing him is not set to be made easy though, after he signed a new long-term deal with the club in the summer which runs until 2030.
The report also states that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are both also interested in his services, and Koln are set to demand over €40 million (£35.2m) to prise him away anytime soon.
Julian Nagelsmann rates El Mala highly after maiden Germany call-up
El Mala received his first senior Germany call-up for their latest round of World Cup qualifiers, but did not make an appearance against Luxembourg before going back to the U21 camp ahead of the first-team’s Monday (17 November) clash against Slovakia.
Die Mannschaft boss Julian Nagelsmann heaped praise onto the 19-year-old after he had left his squad, and insisted that the decision was nothing to do with his talent or application in training.
He said: “He (El Mala) made a good impression. I have very close communication with [Germany U21 coach] Toni Di Salvo.
“He is happy for his players when they can showcase themselves with the senior national team. But for his mission, it’s not ideal.
“Said did well. You always have to put things into perspective, because it was his first time with us and he didn’t have much training time here. He is humble and cheeky enough at the same time.
“He needs to become a regular starter in Koln and have the ambition to address the areas for improvement that his club coach and I have pointed out. Then he will also have the opportunity to make an impact with the national team.”
El Mala is surely set to be a real key man for the Bundesliga club going forward, and could well end up in England soon enough if his upwards trajectory continues.