Expert names Liverpool & Chelsea as transfer suitors for 8 G/A wonderkid | OneFootball

Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly among the clubs looking at highly-rated FC Koln winger Said El Mala, according to Christian Falk.

Writing in his latest CF Bayern Insider column, Falk made it clear that these clubs are all in the market for this profile of player, with Yan Diomande another name they like.

El Mala, 19, is one of the most exciting talents coming through in the Bundesliga at the moment, with an impressive contribution of six goals and two assists so far this season despite not being a regular starter.

It seems only a matter of time before the Germany Under-21 international is snapped up by a bigger club, and it seems that Liverpool and Chelsea will be teams to watch out for.

Said El Mala transfer interest explained by Christian Falk

Said El Mala looks on in the pre-match warm-up (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Discussing the winger market at the moment, with a focus on German football, Falk discussed the clubs looking at both Diomande and El Mala as they look for talented young left-sided attackers.

“Bayern Munich made one big deal last summer, which was Luis Diaz – and it’s working very well! A decision had been made to get an older, more complete player, and they bought him for a lot of money from Liverpool at €70m (£60.7m),” Falk wrote.

“The idea now is to get some competition on the left side with a younger player, which is why Yan Diomande (19) is one idea the club has on the shortlist. They also have Said El Mala of FC Köln. That’s the view – they want to do something in this position.

“Diomande has a long-term contract at RB Leipzig, until 2030. So, he’s not really cheap. This is why you have to take the interest of Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester City very, very seriously.

“Of course, we talk about these clubs, and they’re the same outfits that have Said El Mala on the list. They all have the same idea. Bayern Munich can do something in this position, but they don’t have to. That’s a very comfortable position for FC Bayern.”

Should Said El Mala choose Liverpool or Chelsea?

If it comes down to a choice between those two clubs, it would be very interesting to see who’d edge it in the race for El Mala’s signature.

The teenager could do well to move to Chelsea because of their focus on recruiting and developing the world’s best young players, but the jury’s arguably still out on if that project is going anywhere.

Liverpool, by contrast, might have more competition for places in attack, but might also afford El Mala the chance to join a winning project where he could be more sure of regularly playing in the Champions League and competing for the biggest trophies.