Newcastle United keep scouting forwards to add depth to their front line ahead of next season, and their focus seems to be on young, up-and-coming wide attackers.
One of those is reportedly Bundesliga and Cologne winger Said El Mala, who, according to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, has emerged as a player of interest.
Hope reported that Newcastle’s staff have been tracking the 19-year-old during recent scouting trips to Germany.
“This column reported last month how Union Saint-Gilloise right winger Anan
Khalaili was admired by recruitment chiefs – and now they are taking a close look at Cologne left winger Said El Mala,” Hope wrote. “Recent scouting missions to Germany are said to have taken in matches involving the 19-year-old, who has scored eight times in the Bundesliga. The Germany Under-21 star can also operate as a striker.”
Hope noted that Newcastle are targeting a specific profile of player this summer, which El Mala fits nicely.
“The likes of Khalaili, 21, and El Mala are the profile of young winger Newcastle want to sign this summer, although competition for the latter is said to be strong,” he wrote.
El Mala featured in Cologne’s 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund at the weekend prior to the Champions League round of 16 games that BVB didn’t reach, a match that also involved Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Hope and many others, of course, have also linked Kobel to Newcastle in a optential summer transfer, which points toward the Magpies killing two birds with one stone if the club staffers made a trip to Germany for that matchup.
A separate report from German outlet Kicker.de revealed that El Mala has changed representation, with his mother Sabrina and father Mohammed now advising him. Whether this move is geared toward forcing Cologne’s hand into a sale is unknown, but you can read between the lines.
Brighton & Hove Albion, for one, are reportedly the leaders of the El Mala race entering the final months of the season into the summer transfer window, and might have already submitted multiple offers for the winger. Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are also credited with interest in the youngster.
El Mala’s contract runs until 2030 and has no release clause baked into it, giving Cologne strong leverage in any negotiations. For now, no bid from Newcastle has been reported, and it’s all smoke up in the air.
