Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been credited with an interest in signing FC Koln star Said El Mala
Manchester United have been joined by Tottenham Hotspur in reportedly expressing an interest in one of the Bundesliga's brightest talents. The January transfer window is fast approaching and United are already being linked with several potential new signings.
FC Koln star Said El Mala has emerged as a possible target for United as the New Year moves closer.
Tottenham are also said to have joined the race, with German news outlet SportBild reporting that United and Spurs have made an approach to the Bundesliga outfit over potentially signing the talented 19-year-old.
Reports in recent weeks have speculated that Koln would value El Mala at around €60million (£52.7m) if they were to consider a sale during the summer transfer window. United and Tottenham are reportedly willing to pay up to €40million (£35m) for El Mala, with Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Bayern Munich also credited with an interest in recent weeks.
Whether any concrete interest will emerge in January remains to be seen, with El Mala being tipped to be one of the brightest prospects currently playing in the Bundesliga.
The teenager has already been on the radar of Premier League clubs, with Brighton reportedly expressing an interest last summer and are rumoured to have had an offer rejected. There have been suggestions that the bid was worth around €10million (£8.8m).
Last week, Koln supervisory board member Lionel Souque claimed that Brighton's owner, Tony Bloom, had contacted him about potentially striking a deal for El Mala during the summer.
"Through a friend at the carnival, the owner of the club [Bloom] had my mobile number, called me and tried to see if he had a chance through me, after it didn't work out through management," Souque said on the OMR podcast.
"I told him: 'I'm glad we’re talking, but I'm a fruit and vegetable vendor, you're apparently a poker player - there's no way we’re going to negotiate.' He didn’t find that funny.
"Thomas Kessler (Koln sporting director) decides, not me. And I strongly suspect that the club will initially focus on such a great young player."
El Mala can play across the forward line but has been mostly used in the left wing role for Koln this season. The Germany Under-21 international has scored six goals and provided three assists in just 14 appearances so far this term.