El-Mala move collapses: BVB chief Ricken speaks out | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund have withdrawn from the race for Said El Mala. BVB chief Lars Ricken then found some clear words.

BVB’s pursuit of Said El Mala is over. Borussia Dortmund have pulled out of the race to sign the 19-year-old 1. FC Cologne attacking player. Even a fourth offer from BVB, which including possible bonus payments was reportedly worth around €50 million, failed to produce an agreement. Cologne rejected it, and Dortmund do not want to raise their bid any further.

After the 2-2 draw against AS Roma, BVB sporting director Lars Ricken spoke in more detail about the situation. His main focus was to highlight El Mala’s behavior during the transfer talks. “We can put this topic to bed for now,” Ricken explained. At the same time, he stressed that the youngster had remained professional despite Dortmund’s interest.

While other players sometimes try to force a move, El Mala did not do that. “There are and have also been players who more or less went on strike to force a move or something similar, and he simply kept giving it everything,” said Ricken. His conclusion was accordingly very positive: “Cologne have an impeccable player there.”

BVB transfer collapses: This is how Said El Mala reacts

Cologne managing director Thomas Kessler also paints the picture of a player who seems to be coping well with the failed agreement. Of course, it is completely normal for El Mala to think about the interest of a Champions League club. But Kessler says he is not dealing with an unhappy player. “I don’t see any sadness in him. I’m in contact with him almost every day, and we talk about it very openly.”

Photo: Lars Baron/Getty Images

Kessler also made it clear that El Mala had not expressed any desire to move to Dortmund to him. “I never had Said sitting in my office saying: ‘It is my absolute dream to play for BVB.’” Despite the differing views, there does not appear to have been any lasting damage between the two clubs. Kessler expects to continue speaking with Dortmund about transfers in the future.

Meanwhile, BVB now have to decide how to invest the millions originally earmarked for El Mala. With attacking player Giannis Konstantelias of PAOK Thessaloniki and midfielder Joey Veerman of PSV Eindhoven, Dortmund already have two possible reinforcements in focus.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.