Tottenham have opened talks over said el mala, adding fresh pace to a transfer race that already includes Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. The 19-year-old Cologne forward has been tracked through the 2025/26 campaign, and Spurs are now working directly with his representatives.
Tottenham Move First
The contact over the past week puts Tottenham into active negotiations after a season of regular checks on the Germany Under-21 talent. They want him as a versatile addition who can play across the front line, which gives the club a clear football reason to push ahead now rather than wait for the market to settle.
El Mala has 27 goals in 81 senior games and is rated in the €40m bracket, or about £34.5m and $46m. He is open to moving to England, and that keeps Tottenham in the mix for a player who has already drawn interest from multiple Premier League clubs.
Newcastle And Forest
Newcastle and Nottingham Forest were already in active dialogue before Tottenham stepped in. That leaves Spurs trying to close a gap in a race that has been moving for months, not days, with Brentford having withdrawn earlier this summer because of complications surrounding the deal.
For Cologne, the picture is more complicated than a standard transfer fee. El Mala’s parents are helping to represent him in negotiations, and they want any club pursuing the 19-year-old to also consider his older brother, Malek El Mala, who is 21 and remains at Cologne.
Malek El Mala Factor
Tottenham are prepared to compromise on that family package, which could be the difference between a straightforward bid and a broader negotiation. The older brother requirement is the clearest obstacle in a move that otherwise looks built around a highly rated attacker with numbers that already stand out in senior football.
That leaves Spurs with a decision point that goes beyond their interest in Said alone. They have opened talks, they have the player in their sights, and they are now dealing with a request that could shape whether the move advances at all.
