Kessler confirms snub of Brentford bid, El Mala back on Dortmund's radar | OneFootball

FC Köln's managing director for sport, Thomas Kessler, has confirmed that the club did in fact reject Brentford's €50million offer for Said El Mala.

“It is true that we received an offer for Said," the Köln chief explained during an interview with popular tabloid Sport BILD.

"The financial dimension was very close to the conditions under which we would generally have considered a transfer.

“After careful consideration, however, Said decided against a move to this club. That ended the matter for us,” he added. 

As a result, The Express is reporting that a potential move to fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund seems conceivable again. 

BVB are said to be appealing and "known in the industry for paying more in signing bonuses and salaries than transfer fees" per the report.

Furthermore, El Mala reportedly gets along very well with the Westphalian giants' talisman and defender Nico Schlotterbeck.

It has previously been cited that El Mala's mother Sabrina, who also acts as an advisor, would prefer to have her sons “nearby”.

The fact is, however, that the total package, consisting of a transfer fee and player salary, could cost around around €80million. 

Therefore the tabloid speculates that BVB will agree a top salary including a signing fee for El Mala, while Köln will be offered a lower sum.