Tottenham Hotspur face a battle with some of Europe’s top clubs for a talented young Bundesliga winger.
Spurs signed Mohammed Kudus in the summer, made Mathys Tel’s loan permanent, and have Wilson Odobert in the squad, but it still feels like they haven’t properly replaced Heung-min Son on the left wing.
Thomas Frank will be hoping these negotiations will work to fill that vacancy.
Tottenham Hotspur to return to Bundesliga for another attacker
Alongside Tel’s permanent deal, the north London club also invested a significant amount in bringing Xavi Simons in from the Bundesliga.
The young pair are still working to properly announce themselves on the Premier League stage after a tricky start, but that clearly hasn’t put Spurs off the German market.
Based on a report from German outlet Bild, Spurs have joined the race for FC Koln winger Said El Mala.
The same newspaper reported earlier this week that Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, PSG and Barcelona all also hold an interest in the Germany youth international.
Bild have also revealed previously that Brighton & Hove Albion offered €20m for the attacker last summer, which was rejected by the Bundesliga outfit.
It’s believed that Koln want to wait until next summer to sell, where they will look for a fee between €50m-€60m, with onlooking Premier League sides believed to value him at up to €40m.
The 19-year-old has netted six goals and provided three assists in 14 Bundesliga outings so far this season, operating predominantly off the left.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this could be a smart move for Tottenham, if they can pull it off.
But that is easier said than done, with the number and prestige of clubs interested, and with El Mala under contract until 2030, Koln can sit back and try to drive the price up.
However, Spurs could do with some additional firepower on that left side, and a prospect like El Mala could be perfect for the task.