Man Utd now contenders to sign £52m Bundesliga winger, 9 G/A in 15 games

Manchester United are among the contenders to sign Koln winger Said El Mala, according to BILD.

The Red Devils primarily focused on bolstering their attacking department last summer.

Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko were signed alongside goalkeeper Senne Lammens and left-back Diego Leon.

The Red Devils are still looking at attacking solutions. BILD (page 10) claim that they are one of the clubs interested in landing El Mala.

A winter deal is unlikely, but the German may not stay beyond the summer. It will take at least £52 million to prise him away.

Man Utd should avoid a move for El Mala

The 19-year-old has had a good debut season with Koln on their Bundesliga return. He has bagged six goals and three assists from 15 appearances.

The Germany Under-21 international has primarily played from the left wing. Aside from his nine goal contributions, he has dazzled with his dribbling.

The young forward has averaged only 45 minutes per appearance for Koln, but has won 3.4 duels and 1.4 dribbles with almost two recoveries.

Despite the positives, we would prefer United to steer clear of the attacker, considering the poor track record of wide players arriving from the Bundesliga.

Jadon Sancho has been a flop since his Premier League return, and his fortunes have not changed despite going on loan to Chelsea and currently, Aston Villa.

Christopher Nkunku barely found his feet in English football. He came with a terrific record in the Bundesliga, but never made a big impact at Chelsea. He moved to AC Milan last summer.

Hence, it does not make sense to spend £52m on an inexperienced winger, who is currently playing in his first season in the German top-flight with Koln.

Furthermore, his close relationship with his elder brother Malek is a clear red flag.

The teenager turned down a lucrative move to Borussia Dortmund in 2024 as they were reluctant to recruit his brother alongside him from Viktoria Koln.

El Mala has publicly admitted that it was a non-negotiable with Dortmund. We believe United should avoid considering an offer for his services next summer.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .